Double or Nothing
by Giada Luna
Summary: After an officer is gunned down on the steps of the Konoha Police Department, Konoha's Finest spring into action to find hunt down the assailants. As a new underground organization threatens Konoha, one officer is willing to bet anything to keep their comrades from dying, even if it means giving up everything. Rated M for Language. Lots and lots of bad language..
1. Chapter 1: The Wager

**A/N: Setting: AU: Konoha Police Dept. **

**RATING: Language! (Plus, I don't write for kids. Sorry.)**

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**Double or Nothing**

**Chapter One: The Wager**

_To Wager: to risk something on the outcome of a future event. Also called a "bet."_

The cake was mostly eaten, the streamers were falling down, and the hurry-up-half-assed sign that said "Good Luck, Captain" was sagging pitifully from the ceiling. Kakashi Hatake thought it might be one of the best things he had seen during his long career on the force. He adjusted the scarf around his neck and over his nose in preparation for facing the snow whirling outside of the window.

"Tch," the derisive sound was sharp in the empty room. Kakashi turned lazily to look over his shoulder at the perpetrator, taking in the ramrod straight posture, the hands fisted on hips, and the overall air of annoyance. "Gonna miss this wreck?" the man eyed the remnants of the celebration critically.

Kakashi looked over the room with his good eye and adjusted his eye patch slightly. He had been on the Konoha Police force for many years now, and in his time as head of investigations, had seen more cases closed successfully than any preceding captain. "A man can get burnt out in our line of work," he shrugged, "but yeah. I'm going to miss it."

"Going to go spend your retirement on some beach reading your dirty novels?" the younger man asked dryly.

"Ne, ne," he waved his hands, his eye crinkling in a smile. "I'm just going for a month or two to stay with an old friend. I'm coming back to Konoha to work as a consulting detective on a freelance basis." He looked over his subordinate carefully. "It is time for some new blood to direct the Department," he said frankly. "That's why I recommended that you be promoted to Captain."

"Me?" the man asked, clearly taken aback.

"You are the most intuitive of our agents, and have the respect of our division. You will do well," he slung his satchel over his shoulder. "You aren't going to refuse, are you Detective?" he asked, head turned to the side.

The younger officer looked up to his Captain, and knew he really only had one response to give. "No."

"Good!" The older man clapped him on the back. "The rest of the gang is meeting for a drink at Ichiraku. Come meet us when you get off shift in a couple of hours. That is an order, Detective," the senior officer directed, cutting off any objections before they could be voiced.

"Ah," the Detective gave a half smile.

"Good man." Kakashi gave a curt nod as he headed to the door. "Night shift will eat the rest of the cake," he called over his shoulder. "See you later, Sasuke."

The door closed behind him, and Officer Uchiha Sasuke watched his captain, teacher, and friend walk out into a cold, already dark Konoha winter night and out of his department as captain for the last time. Instinctively, he checked the time. 7:39 PM. His shift would be over at 9:00, and he had some reports to finish.

He didn't get to those reports.

A lightning-fast percussive eruption of gunshots, breaking glass, and squealing tires rang through the hall, forcing him to take cover. As soon as the air no longer hummed with the cacophony of gunfire, Detective Uchiha Sasuke sprang to his feet and raced down the hall to the now-shattered doors of the police station. The smell of gunpowder was sharp in the cold air, mixed sickeningly with metallic notes of blood. There, sprawled on the steps of the Konoha Police Department was Kakashi, quickly being surrounded by a growing stain of crimson snow.

Sasuke snapped his head around and caught the faint trace of taillights speeding away and almost, insensibly, raced after the car when a low, guttural groan froze him in place.

He breathed a sharp curse as he dropped to his senior officer's side and turned him over hastily searching for a pulse and assessing the severity of the injuries.

"What was that?" a familiar voice came quickly down the hall. "Uchiha – what; Holy shit, - Captain?!"

"Call the ambulance, NOW!" Sasuke bit over his shoulder.

"On it," the officer said grimly. "Akamaru – stay with the captain," he directed his large, white dog as he raced back into the building to get medical supplies, dialing 911 on his phone. The dog did as he was told, and positioned himself between the man and the street, his fur on end as he loomed large against any potential threat.

"Good boy," Sasuke muttered, hands rapidly going over the captain's body.

The sound of equipment dully hitting snow echoed next to him, but he didn't even look up as another pair of hands darted into view, accompanied by a decidedly unladylike "Holy fuck, old man." Sasuke looked up to Tenten who was pulling a blanket out of the emergency response bag to cover him. "When you said we all needed EMT training, you didn't say you were going to give us a fucking practical on the steps of the station."

A cough and what might have been a rusty laugh rumbled from Kakashi's chest, splattering his scarf with blood. Tenten ripped the scarf back as she and Sasuke worked quickly to identify and bind what wounds they could. They moved in electrified silence and with breathtaking speed, speaking only when they needed to. Sasuke counted a heavily bleeding but superficial graze to the temple, an open and bleeding lip from where his face hit the stairs, a deep graze through the top of Kakashi's left arm, and a heavily bleeding wound in the right thigh that probably shattered his bone. "Stay with me, Captain," Tenten urged Kakashi as she pressed and taped gauze to his forehead. "You are too tough for this to take you down." She scooped clean snow into a bit of gauze and had Kakashi use his good hand to hold it to his lip. Her expression was grimly determined as she cut the fabric away from his leg. She darted a look up to her fellow officer and then to the captain's chest. Sasuke nodded and ripped open the man's shirt, relieved to see his bullet proof vest had done its job.

"Probably some cracked ribs," he muttered, closing the shirt. Tenten then flicked her eyes to Kakashi's bleeding arm, and the Sasuke snatched up the man's scarf to apply pressure while she examined the wound on his thigh. It was large, bleeding heavily, and probably had a bullet lodged in the bone.

"You remember what you told me when I joined the force?" she asked, her hands moving with sharp, efficient motions. "You told me we don't let our comrades die. You told me it didn't matter that I grew up with no parents, and came in off of the streets with a shady and extensive knowledge of weaponry. You told me it didn't matter that I was the only girl. You told me I wasn't alone anymore and that we are family. You told me you were going to _be _here," she bit out before taking a deep breath to calm herself. Sasuke watched her fight off the threat of tears. She was not an emotional woman, even if she was an excitable one. The only time he had seen something even close to tears on her was when she took a knife wound to the side, and even then, they were involuntary. He found himself relieved that she continued dry-eyed and with steel in her voice.

"You didn't open your present from me yet, did you?" she asked, trying to keep him engaged.

He feebly shook his head back and forth, his eyes sagging closed.

"Then you don't have time to fucking die," she bit out tersely as she pressed her body weight to the wound on his leg, quickly binding the absorbent pad in place as she wrapped a roll of gauze around and around his thigh.

"La…language, Officer," he labored before coughing again.

"I'll never fucking say fuck again if you just cofuckingoperate and don't fucking die," she ground out, earning an arched eyebrow from Sasuke. Tenten was known to have one of the most colorful and inventive vocabularies on the force when provoked. She normally resorted to a strategically thrown weapon as a warning, but when she let it fly, her cursing was legendary and imaginative.

"It's worth surviving just to piss her off," Sasuke advised, as he held the scarf on his Captain's bleeding arm with one hand and scrounged in the medical bag with the other.

"That's right," she said, tying off the binding at his leg. She moved to tend his arm while swatting Sasuke's hand away from the bag and digging out the materials she needed. "And do you want to know why I am so absofuckinglutely sure that you won't dare even think about doing something as fanfuckingtastically stupid as dying?" she asked as "Because I might be the only female officer on the team, but I am the only one with the cojones to actually go out and find you the perfectly most afuckingmazing present, and I have been waiting to see your squinty-patch-eyed-shit-eating grin for months now." Sasuke knew she was trying to keep him awake, but found himself slightly intrigued. She darted a glance at him. "And you are shit-fuckin-lucky that it's son-of-a-bitch-frozen-ass-won't-tell-anyone-shit-Uchiha sitting out here in this god-blasted-ass-awful snow with us, or I wouldn't be able to tell you."

Kakashi's eyes were beginning to glaze over as his junior officers passed a roll of gauze between them and forced it under the gap between his back and the stairs to bind it across his chest and stabilize his arm to his side. Sasuke gave her a brief nod as he tied it off and checked his pulse. "We're losing him," he muttered harshly, wondering if he should risk further cracking his ribs with chest compressions when Tenten reached over to grab the lapels of Kahashi's coat sharply and dragged his face to hers.

"Now you listen here you no-good-pervy-assed old man," she growled, her teeth clenched and her nose against his. "Those other officers of yours are too god-damned-chicken-shit-sons-of-pansy-assed-panda-bear-bitches to even walk into a certain section of a book store, but this hard-assed-little-girl took a solo mission and went directly to the motherfucking source. Do you know what it takes to get a pre-releasef signed copy of the Ichi Ichi anthology _and_ the hot off the press brand-spankin-new-once-in-a-life-time new work by your all-fucking-time-favorite even-pervyier-than-you-legendary-woman-chasing author Jiraiya?"

His breath hitched and his good eye widened ever so slightly. Sasuke's anger was palpable, but she ignored it as she lowered her voice to where the even Uchiha would have to struggle to hear her. "It takes tracking down the perviest writer on the planet, and giving him an envelope containing the world's-tiniest-most-pathetic-excuse for a bikini in the history of forfuckinever. Then you tell him you will trade the second envelope with pictures of you wearing the world's-tiniest-most-pathetic-excuse for a bikini in the history of forfuckinever for the goods. Hell, you even let him keep the world's-tiniest-most-pathetice-xcuse for a bikini in the history of forfuckinever, because it isn't like you are going to need to wear it – or almost wear it – ever afuckingain. That earns you an extra nosebleed and a promise that a signed copy of the next book is going to be delivered directly to your Captain upon release. You understand what I'm telling you Kakashi? I don't own a dress, old man. I don't wear anything that isn't pants or training gear. Do you know the kind of prepwork that goes into putting on that kind of insanity? There are women at a salon that have seen more of me than god or my doctor. And as for actually being photographed? I would willingly and gleefully kick the everlovingshit out of anyone that looked at me sideways while castrating them with a rusty kunai and stuffing their goods down their throat." she growled. "And did I risk it for that we-wont-say-his-name-but-you-know-because-I-swear-you-spiked-my-fucking-thirteenth-drink-at-last-years-new-years-party man that I probably-definitely-love-but-refuckingfuse-to-tell-him? Nope. I took the risk because that is what it took to get fucking best present for the best-crazy-ass-mother-of-a-captain in the world. So." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are not going to leave us in this Mongolian clusterfuck of a mess with no clues, no witnesses, and no one to read these books and the one that is still fucking being _written_ because they were too busy fucking _dying_ on the steps of the Konoha Police Department. You'd better just stay with us, you pervyassoneeyedwonderjerk, because I don't have time for this bullshit." Sasuke watched in amazement as Kakashi's color improved somewhat and he nodded slowly.

"Yes, Ma'am," Kakashi harshed out, a tiny trickle of blood forming at his nose. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. What had she said that caused that oh-so-familiar symptom? The sound of an ambulance cut through the air, and a wave of relief washed over Tenten's face as she looked to her fellow officer.

"Thank God," she muttered. "Not a single fucking word, Uchiha," she warned him.

He arched an eyebrow. Did she really think he wanted to end up on the receiving end of one of her tirades? She may have ground rules like never using the "c" or "p" word, and only use 'mother' + 'any combination of 'fuck'' sparingly but he knew better than to aggravate anyone that had the kind of aim she had.

"Hn," was all he said as he looked behind him. Kiba was standing there with an armful of blankets and coats, extending his free hand to Tenten.

"How long have you been there," Tenten narrowed her eyes at him as she stood up.

"Here," He draped an emergency blanket over her shivering shoulders before handing one to Sasuke to replace the now-bloodied one Tenten had brought out. "You're going to need this. Hold these," he shoved a coat and a messenger bag into her hands before nodding to Sasuke. "Uchiha – I'll help you move him." Tenten stood, her knees beginning to shake and she forcibly shoved down what she knew was going to be the adrenaline aftershock. The back door of the ambulance flew open and Kiba and Sasuke helped lift Kakashi onto the gurney and into the ambulance.

"I'm going with him," Sasuke took his coat and satchel from Tenten. He darted an appreciative look at Kiba who nodded. Tenten started to follow. He took one look at her bloody clothes and hands and shook his head.

"Stay here," he told her. "Get cleaned up and then follow to the hospital."

Tenten ignored him and swung up into the ambulance, clutching the blanket to keep from shaking. She leaned over Kakashi's face as the medics secured the gurney.

"Remember, Old Man," she said putting a surprisingly gentle hand to his shoulder. "I've got cofuckinglatteral on you. Don't do anything so unforfuckingforgivable as dying."

"L-Language," he said before resting back on the gurney.

She kissed the top of his head quickly. "Double or nothing, Captain – come back and you get the unopened present and I'll retire my favorite word. I hate to lose, but in your case," she smiled wryly, "I'll make an exception. See you in a bit." She looked up to Sasuke.

"Watch over him," she said quietly, and he was struck by the odd mix of determination and fear that played across her blood-splattered face. He wasn't one for words, and she knew it. She knew his sharp nod in response meant he wasn't going to leave the Captain's side.

"C'mon, Officer – we've got work to do," Kiba held up his hand to her.

Tenten was surprised when Kiba lifted her by the waist to bring her down from the ambulance, keeping an arm around her as he set her on her feet. She was even more surprised to find that she needed it. He adjusted the blanket tighter around her shoulders and stood behind her, rubbing her arms briskly and letting her lean against him. They watched as the ambulance doors closed and the vehicle streaked into the night, the flash of lights and the wail of the siren bouncing off of the buildings as it winded out of sight. She turned reluctantly to go inside and almost passed out at the sight of the blood spattered steps, the crimson snow, and the discarded orange blanket mottled with blood. So. Much. Blood.

Kiba shot an arm around to steady her. He pulled her against him as her body began to shake, while Akamaru whined and leaned his warm body against her leg. "It's ok, Tenten," he said quietly. "The Captain is going to make it."

"He'd fucking better," she muttered, holding back tears.

Kiba leaned over and tsked in her ear "Language."

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****** A/N: **

******I started toying with the idea of a connected but not continuous series of one-shot/two shot stories about an AU Konoha Police Department as prep for different storyline I have in mind. This particular story started off as an intro to a completely different story, then became a quick vignette, and is now going to be its own independent story. Not planning on making this a super long one; just a change of pace while I hash out more for 'You Must Believe in Spring,' (which is not a little story.) Thanks for reading! - Giada**

******UPDATED 7/19: Now, with hyphenated profanity for easier reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Longshot

A/N: I don't own the characters.

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**Double or Nothing**

**Chapter Two: The Longshot**

_Longshot: a hand, bet, or contestant that is unlikely to win._

Uchiha Sasuke was not a betting man. He was an analyst. He was a tactician. He was a statistician.

He knew that the level of injuries Kakashi had sustained would require immediate and extensive attention. The medics said Kakashi was blood type "O," and therefore could only receive "O," and he needed a considerable amount of blood to replace what he had lost. At that thought, Sasuke looked down at himself. He had stayed fairly clean during the procedure; Tenten, though, wore enough of Kakashi's blood that she looked like she had been the one wounded. The numbers didn't look good.

The ambulance medics had quickly and quietly gone about their work under Sasuke's watchful eyes. As they arrived at the hospital, Detective Uchiha Sasuke did not leave the captain until they were wheeling him into the OR.

Sasuke watched the doors swing shut and the nurses prepped Kakashi as the doctors scrubbed in.

Uchiha Sasuke was not a betting man, but he was a determined one; and he was determined his Captain was going to come out of this alive. He strode down the hall and flashed his badge at some poor frightened nurse who admitted him to the observation area for surgery.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took the call.

"Inuzuka," he said as he answered.

"Tsume is tracking the car," Kiba said without preamble. I got a hold of Shikamaru; he is going to round up the guys at Ichiraku's and meet back at the station. I'm on my way over to Kakashi's to get some of his things and make sure his place is secure."

"Where's Tenten."

"At the station. She was starting to go into minor shock. I had my sister come in to stay with her while she got cleaned up. Didn't think she'd appreciate me in the locker room." Kiba's tone was only half joking. "I'll go back for her; we'll be there shortly."

"Understood."

"Remember your first bet against Tenten, Uchiha," Kiba advised. "Inuzuka out."

Sasuke stared at his phone as it flashed 'Call Ended.'

Uchiha Sasuke was not a betting man, but he knew something about the business of taking a wager.

_They were sitting at the Ichiraku's after a shift; Tenten, Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto, and Kakashi. They were all watching the boxing match with interest as Tenten had convinced them to participate in a friendly wager. Sasuke was betting on the favorite; he was faster, stronger, more seasoned, and had more wins under his belt, and more belts under which to put those wins. Tenten and Kiba were going with the underdog, Naruto was with Sasuke, and Kakashi stayed out of the bet. Sasuke's signature knowing smirk grew as the fight continued and his contender dominated the ring._

_He slid a glance to Tenten. "Want to back out?" he asked coolly._

_She crossed her legs, leaned forward on the bar, and nodded her head to the TV. "Two questions. One: did you ever watch the Rocky movies, Uchiha?" she asked, her eyes on the fight._

_"__No," he shrugged. "It's not really my thing."_

_"__Shame," she shook her head. "I love spaghetti westerns, kung-fu movies and Rocky. We'll have to do something about that. Ok, so Two: have you ever taken me up on a bet before?"_

_Sasuke flicked his eyes to the screen; the 5__th__ round was starting. The champ was still looking good, if not a bit tired, but the challenger wasn't out yet. He frowned; the fight really should've been over rather quickly; it hadn't been predicted to go past three rounds. "No."_

_"__Not a betting man," she half grinned. "I grew up around bookies and sports; so I'll tell you a couple of things." As she spoke the bell rang to start the round. Sasuke looked past her to where Kiba was sitting with an expression he couldn't really place. Like he knew something Sasuke didn't know. Kiba raised his beer to him in some kind of mock salute, and gestured toward the screen. Tenten spoke with eyes glued to the fight, so he turned to do the same._

_"__One: know about the fighters. Know about their history, their training, their stats, their records – anything and everything you can." _

_The champ came out swinging and launched an attack on his opponent. _

_"__Two: watch their body language. Get a feel for what their attitude is for the fight; how they carry themselves, when they start to tire, how they manage themselves during a fight. You can learn more about a fighter from watching how they conduct themselves against their opponents. Watch them against guys that are better and worse than they are. Understand their stamina."_

_The champ's brutal attack was suddenly blocked as the challenger retaliated and launched an attack of his own, his gloves flying as he landed hit after hit on the champ, driving him into the corner and against the ropes._

_"__Three," she said, and he heard the grin in her voice. "Never discount the longshot. Sometimes it doesn't matter what the numbers say, or the statistics, or any of the other analytical crap that they throw out at you. It comes down to who wants it the most and who worked the hardest to get it just as much as who is the most talented. This champ? He's good. He's real good. He's better than his opponent. But you know what? He hasn't been working as hard lately. He got complacent. That's all a longshot needs; a hiccup in the world of the 'normal' to throw the mathematical projections all to hell and come out on top." _

_The champ was down. _

_The bell rang. _

_The longshot won._

_"__Four," she finally looked over to him. "I hate to lose. I don't bet seriously unless I know I'm going to win."_

_"__That's why I never bet against her," Kakashi leaned in. _

_"__Me neither," Kiba grinned._

_"__Great, now you tell me," Naruto grumbled. "Captain, you aren't really going to make us take that bet, are you?"_

_Kakashi grinned. "Sorry, Uzumaki and Uchiha – but for the next month, you are on call whenever Madam Shijimi calls in about Tora."_

_Naruto groaned, and Sasuke looked like he had eaten a lemon._

_"__What's the matter, Uchiha," Kiba grinned. "I thought you liked cats."_

_"__Nobody likes that cat," Sasuke grumbled._

_"__C'mon, Tenten – give us another chance. I know – you and Kiba against me and Sauske in a game of pool." _

_"__I hate pool," Kiba groaned. "Just let it go, Naruto."_

_"__Double or nothing," Sasuke said, downing his beer, and headed to the pool table, followed by an enthusiastic Naruto. _

_"__At least he wasn't dumb enough to suggest darts," Kakashi sighed. "Why the hell would he think he could beat you at pool?"_

_Tenten grinned wickedly. "Because I let him beat me at it all last week in preparation for the bet this week."_

_Sasuke and Naruto had a long two months of calls about Tora – the most troublesome cat in all of Konoha. _

Sasuke watched the doctors start to work on his Captain and friend. There was a tall, imposing woman giving orders, clearly directing the procedures. She had at least two other doctors with her; both women. Kakashi's lip was going to need stitches, it seemed. The leg was going to need surgery, the shoulder – who knew – the transfusion needed to be started, donors needed to be found…

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Tenten.

_Uchiha; Inuzuka Hana from Tenten's phone. She says Kakashi blood type O. Obito, Asuma, and I coming in as donors. Tenten says 'put the odds on the longshot.' _

Sasuke looked down at his phone and then back out of the window separating him from the chaos below.

"You said you never bet against her, Captain," Sasuke said quietly. "This time I'm taking your advice."

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**Updates in this story will be shorter, but probably more frequent. I appreciate the time you have taken to read! -GL**


	3. Chapter 3: Betting Blind

_A/N: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not Masashi Kishimoto. If a more formal disclaimer is needed, it can be found on file with the main office with the elevator certificates. _

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**Double or Nothing**

**Betting Blind**

**Blind Bet - In poker, a bet posted without the player seeing any of his/her cards**

Kiba pulled the K-9 SUV unit up to the rear of the station, and was surprised to see Tenten trudging through the snow and out to his vehicle alone. He jumped out to open the door for her as she had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, as well as her normal beat-to-hell backpack that he knew was her version of a purse.

"What are you doing here alone? Where is Hana?" he asked, reaching for her bags.

"I'm not alone," she handed over the duffel and then waved as she looked back to the rear exit of the building. Chōji was just inside the door, watching over her. "Shikamaru and the others got here a little while ago. Hana has the same blood type as Kakashi so she went ahead to make sure she was on call to donate." Tenten jumped up into the passenger seat, hung her feet out of the side of the door, and banged her boots together to kick off the snow. She looked behind her to where Akamaru and Pakkun were riding in the custom kennel area.

"Hey, boys," she smiled to them, scooting into her seat. She held out her hands for her duffel and Kiba handed it over before shutting her door.

"Inuzuka!" Shikamaru called from the doorway. Kiba gave Tenten a 'hold on a sec' look and jogged over to where the unusually serious Nara waited.

Tenten shifted in her seat and triple checked her backpack to make sure she had the station's medical file for Kakashi. Pakkun and Akamaru were both registered as service dogs, so Tenten assumed they'd accompany them to the hospital, and she had copies of their documentation as well. Her phone buzzed with several texts. They were from Hana.

_Security knows about the dogs; gave them the paperwork you sent. They also know you have to be armed, and they won't stop you at the door. Asuma and Obito on way. Rin going to come in morning to be here for Kakashi. Be smart; don't overdo. Will check in before I leave and take Pakkun with me when I go._

"TENTEN!" the door ripped open, startling her into dropping her phone. Naruto caught it, almost head-butting her in the process. He handed her the phone, nearly dropping it again as his words spilled over each other. "I just called Iruka; he says he is Kakashi's blood-type, too, and is going to go straight to the hospital, but the Captain – you saw him – is he going to be alright? Is he-"

"He's at the hospital," she said, "Uchiha and I patched him up as best we could, but you know the Captain – he's too stubborn to be taken down."

Naruto and Tenten exchanged looks. They were both orphans, and therefore they cherished their KPD family with a fierce loyalty. Kakashi had become a sort of father figure in their lives, or, at the very least a dependable and slightly dirty uncle.

Naruto's blue gaze was piercing, and Tenten felt herself swallowing the panic that hovered at the back of her throat – the same panic that had been circling her gut since she heard the shots ring out. Naruto had a way of seeing through people, though, and it was almost her undoing. Before she could protest, he crushed her into a fierce hug. Tenten was not really one for full body contact unless it was in hand-to-hand combat. As the lone female in her division, she made a point to keep her physical contact with others to a minimum, even if she had known them forever. Naruto would always be that exception that she couldn't control, if only because she'd never be able to keep him from being Naruto – and Naruto was a hugger.

"I told him he can't die until he gets my present," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. Naruto's dad had known Jiraiya somehow, so Naruto was the one that gave her the lead that let her find him. "And I promised to never say "fuck," ever again."

Naruto's eyes grew wide as he pushed away to look at her. "No shit?"

"No shit," she confirmed.

He absolutely beamed at her. "Well, it's settled, then!" Naruto said happily. "No way is Kakashi going to let that opportunity pass by. Man, am I gonna miss hearing you swear. You are _legend_."

"I'm not giving up, swearing," she said pointedly. "I'm giving up one word."

Naruto shrugged. "Still."

The door opened and Kiba hopped in the van and eyed Naruto over Tenten's head, tapping his wrist in a 'time's up' gesture. The blonde pulled Tenten in for another hug, sticking his tongue out at the other man.

"You told me about a blind bet, right?" he murmured into her collar. "Well we don't need to see him or know the odds to know he'll make it. We trust him."

Tenten nodded.

"I'll check in with you at the hospital," he promised. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "He's gonna pull through," he said quietly in her ear.

"I know."

Naruto released her from his warm hug and handed her the belt. "Buckle up," he advised before closing the door and waving them off.

She shivered involuntarily, probably from the loss of his warmth, the rush of cold wind that whooshed in with the door, and from her time in the snow. Kiba looked over at her critically before cranking up the heat.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to go out in the cold with wet hair?" he grumbled as he backed out and headed for the hospital.

Tenten shrugged. "You think I keep a hairdryer at the station? Scratch that – do you think I even own a hairdryer?"

"I could've lent you Akamaru's," he offered as the snow crunched loudly below the tires of the powerful vehicle.

"Pass," she replied, flicking through her texts. "Hana says the dogs have been cleared. They know we are coming."

"Shimamaru said they transferred our night shift at the station to the hospital," Kiba said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, he told me," she sighed and leaned back in the seat. "It's going to be a long fucking night. And before you say a word, I don't have to give up saying anything until they pronounce Kakashi is in the clear, so I am going to use it as much as fucking possible to make up for not getting to ever again." When Kiba might have interjected, she continued, "And don't fucking bother with any arguments about how I have to prefuckingpare myself for the half -cocked crazy-assed notion that Kakashi might not make it because that is refuckingdiculous."

"I wouldn't dare," he said, checking the rearview. The roads were practically empty and there were only a few tracks in the snow. That meant Tsume would have an easier job of tracking, at least.

"You know," she continued, staring out of the window. "Fuck isn't really my _favorite_ favorite word."

"Oh?" Kiba asked, darting his eyes down the side streets, looking to see if he spotted his mother or any suspicious activity (or his mother engaging in any suspicious activity, because there was no guarantee she wouldn't kick the everlovingshit out of someone she thought had gone after Kakashi.)

"My _favorite_ favorite word is actually 'clusterfuck.' It's just so beautifully accurate. I mean, how else would you describe this mess? Captain gets gunned down by some cowardlyshitassbastards on the very fucking day he is supposed to refuckingtire and the entire damned police force and anyone that knows Kakashi is going to spend everysinglegoddamned minute of the next weeks scrambling to figure out what the hell happened while Kakashi is on the mend – and he will be on the mend. 'Clusterfuck' is the only word that comes to mind."

Kiba seemed to consider this. "Maybe Kakashi will make an exception – it is a different word, after all."

"No, that would be cheating," Tenten sighed mournfully. "I promised, and I never break a promise. I don't know if I'll even be able to think the word again."

Kiba pulled into the hospital parking lot near the ER entrance. He put the vehicle in park before turning to his fellow officer and friend. He hesitated for about a millisecond before he reached past the gaping neck of her too-big department issued winter coat to rest a warm hand on her shoulder. She felt the heat of his hand radiate through the fabric of her uniform, a familiar and calming touch. Kiba was the only other exception to the general physical contact rule. They had been friends long before she enrolled at the police academy, but he respected her boundaries and only reached out when he felt he really needed to.

This was one of those times.

She looked up at him; her face was pale and her hair was wet but pulled tightly back into her standard two buns. She looked small and fragile in the coat made for a man, and for just that split second he could see the all-alone little girl he remembered from days long past in the face of the tough, capable woman and cop he knew her to be.

"Then say and think it as often as you want tonight," he said quietly. "I'm sure the Captain would want you to get the most out of your wager. Besides," he grinned mischievously, "You know we are all going to have fun holding you to it once you have to give it up."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I'll bet." She started to undo her belt, but he tightened his grip on her shoulder. She looked over to him.

"You okay?" he asked her seriously.

She breathed out a sigh. "Just got cold and shaken up. I've got myself together now."

"I didn't ask what happened. I asked if you are okay."

Tenten turned in her seat. Kiba pinned her with a specific look, and she knew that there was no bluffing when he had his 'dog whisperer' mojo going on. "I know," she said finally. "The answer to that question is 'I'm not sure, but I don't have time to think about it, so ask me again tomorrow.'"

Kiba held her gaze for a moment longer before nodding. He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and said "Okay," as he chucked her chin gently. "I'm with you, partner," he reminded her.

From the back of the SUV came a chorus of several sharp barks, and Kiba grinned. "Looks like I'm not the only one."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was watching the surgery intently when Tenten came in. If he was surprised to see Pakkun in her wake, there was no outward indication. Tenten went immediately to the window and looked down. Sasuke filled her in.

"You just missed the nurse. They stitched up his lip already; something about the cut not crossing the vermilion border, and that it was a good thing?" he looked to her.

She nodded. "The border between where your lips meet the rest of your face; the red/white border. Once you cross over that border it makes the surgery more difficult, at least from a cosmetic standpoint."

Hn. The graze on his temple isn't much to worry about. He does have cracked ribs - apparently that was a shotgun slug - but no lungs punctured. They have been working on his arm; flesh wound, no bones broken. His femur is broken; they have to perform surgery. Rods and pins sort of deal; 4-6 months minimum recovery."

Tenten nodded. "That means 4-6 months minimum of special detail," she said flatly.

Sasuke looked over to her, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't know who did this," she said, jerking her head to the operation below them. "He is the Captain of the KPD Investigations department, has a distinguished career, and he was shot down on the steps of the department. The media is going to be all over this; in 48 hours, everyone in Konoha is going to know that Kakashi is out of commission. You think no one is going to take advantage of that? Kakashi has made more than his share of enemies. We'd do the same thing for any high-ranking person of interest in Konoha."

Sasuke noted two things. 1) She had a very valid point. 2) She hadn't used a single word of profanity in stating her case.

"We'll see," he said, turning back to watch.

"Uchiha," she said, her eyes still on Kakashi.

"Hn?"

"I brought you these."

He reached out and took a pair of shooting earmuffs from her outstretched hand.

"And just what do you think you will be shooting in here?" he asked, his face stony.

"My mouth. I've got precisely two minutes and twenty-three seconds before I begin cursing a blue-streak. I have no intention of leaving this room, and neither do you. This is my way of being considerate."

Sasuke reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of noise cancelling headphones and an iPod.

"You forget that I work with Naruto," he said dryly. "Save these for Kiba."

Tenten snorted inelegantly. "Kiba will probably take notes." She looked around the room. This was a teaching hospital; the observation area was nice. There were two rows of well-padded removable interlocking chairs, a side table with an empty coffee maker, and a padded bench seat wrapping around the back and left walls. This would do.

They stood in silence for two more minutes and twenty seconds. Sasuke put his headphones on, and looked to Tenten. "Fire when ready, Officer."

She took a deep breath, and he hit play.

* * *

True to his word, Naruto came into the observation area around midnight. Tenten was at the window muttering a series of invectives that would've made a person with normal sensibilities blush or possibly faint.

That probably explained why Kiba was taking notes and slurping on what looked like a convenient store slushy. At Naruto's raised eyebrow, he mouthed 'Asuma.' Naruto nodded; Asuma had asked if there was anything anyone needed, and Shikamaru had told him to call Kiba. Apparently Kiba had needed a slushy. "Can only drink so much of this hospital coffee," Kiba explained as Naruto slid into a chair next to him. He nodded to Tenten, "I made her drink two bottles of water to space out the caffeine."

Naruto froze.

"No signs of Twitchy yet, right?"

Kiba shook his head. "No, thank god," he muttered. Tenten was a seasoned black coffee drinker, so it took a good bit to over-caffeinate her, but that had not always been the case. It was a little known fact that Tenten had a caffeinated alter-ego that had long ago been christened "Twitchyfuck," or "Twitchy" for short. Twitchy was a hell of a handful to deal with, and given that Tenten liked to throw or hit things when agitated, she was not to be taken lightly.

"Seems a shame," Naruto said innocently. Kiba, knowing better than to trust that tone from Naruto slid a sidelong glance at him.

"How so," he asked, still scribbling notes as Tenten went on, uninterrupted.

"Well, if this is the last night that Tenten gets to use the word 'fuck,' then that means that Twitchy won't get to use it again either; hell – it's part of her name! Seems a real shame," Naruto said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't do it, Naruto," Kiba said flatly. "If you do, I'm dropping her off at your house as soon as shift ends, and then you can deal with Tenten and Twitchy and explaining why they can't go back to the hospital and Kakashi, and I'll make damned sure she is well armed."

Naruto froze. Suddenly hopping Tenten up on caffeine didn't sound like such a good idea.

"What are you two planning," a deep voice came from the corner. Sasuke was watching them suspiciously from where he reclined in the corner of the bench seat. He removed his noise cancelling headphones and sat up, giving them a disapproving glare.

"I'm not planning anything," Kiba snorted. "Baka here better not be either."

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Kiba and from Kiba to Sasuke. "Fine," he huffed. Naruto went over to stand by Tenten.

Sasuke stood. "I'm going to check in at the nurses' station and get the latest updates," he said. He looked over to Tenten who either couldn't hear or was ignoring their conversation, then back to Kiba and flicked his eyes to the hall. Kiba nodded and started to follow him out when a nurse stepped in the room followed by Shikamaru.

"Officer Uchiha," she said politely. "My name is Kaori; I just came on shift. I was going to update Officer Nara here, but he suggested I update everyone at once."

Sasuke nodded. "These are officers Inuzuka, Uzumaki, and Tenten." He indicated the other members in the room. "I was just coming to see if there are any updates on the Captain."

"You can see he is still in surgery," she said calmly, flicking through her papers. "Captain Kakashi is lucky to have had such a quick response on all fronts. If his wounds hadn't been treated as well as they had, he probably would have bled out before we could have helped him. Also," she looked up, "there was a large accident last night, and the blood bank was low on his blood type. Arranging for those donors to come in might have saved his life." A pager at her hip buzzed, and she excused herself to use the phone in the corner of the room.

The five officers watched her as she took the call, listening intently. A moment later, she turned back around. "That was Mogusa – one of the medics working on Kakashi." she said. "Two more donors were needed."

"Were?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

Kaori smiled. "One of the staff and one of the doctors volunteered." She flicked her eyes to the clock. "They should be donating in about 10 minutes. I probably won't get another update before 2:00 AM," she said apologetically. "So far your Captain seems to be responding well. He is in very good hands."

Sasuke nodded. "Officers Inuzuka and Tenten will be here throughout the night," he informed her. "Please give all updates to them until their replacements come on shift at 6:00 AM."

"Of course," she smiled before giving a polite bow and returning to her station.

The five officers all seemed to be digesting the news.

"Kakashi always was a lucky son of a gun," Kiba finally chuckled.

Naruto looked like he was puzzling over something. "Iruka was with us when we got the call and, he said he'd go in to donate. Who else has been here?"

"My sister, Asuma, and Obito," Kiba said, keeping watch on Tenten from the corner of his eye.

"So if they didn't show up, Kakashi might not have made it?" Nartuo asked, looking at Sasuke and Kiba. Both men nodded. "How did they even know?"

Kiba looked over to Tenten who was staying very quiet. "I'm guessing a little bird told them."

Naruto gaped at Tenten "No way! So if you and Sasuke didn't patch him up and if you hadn't thought to call those people, Kakashi wouldn't make it? Wow, Tenten, you're pretty amazing, you know that?" he asked her.

"I think they call that stacking the deck," Shikamaru drawled.

Tenten smiled. "You caught me, Shika."

Kiba shook his head. "No. For once I think Naruto got it right," he said.

"Yeah," Naruto pumped his fist in the air, "for once I- hey, Kiba, what do you mean for once?!

* * *

Sasuke stayed at the hospital until 1:30 AM. He and Shikamaru had done a quick round to get a feel for what kind of security would be needed, and to get a better sense of the layout of the building. A nurse took them to the various recovery areas so the men could go back to the station and plan for Kakashi's recovery. He returned to the observation area, fighting off sleep. He turned find Tenten holding out a bottle of water and an apple to him. "They just have to finish up with his leg, but it's going to take a while." she said simply. "Take these and then go home; you are going to have to be at the station before long. We'll head over after our normal night shift ends." Sasuke took the water and apple gratefully.

"Shikamaru has all he needs, right? She asked.

"Ah."

"Then let him take you home," she nodded to the man standing just outside the doorway.

"Troublesome," Nara called over his shoulder.

Sasuke looked Tenten over. "You going to be alright?" he asked, pulling his coat on.

"Yeah. Inuzuka and I got this; the timing isn't really different than the shift we were supposed to have tonight anyway. He's finishing up a quick round of the floor and a break for Akamaru right now."

Sasuke nodded, and pulled his bag over his shoulder.

"Don't forget," she said, "4-6 months of special detail, minimum. Bring it up at the meeting."

He looked down at her for a second, considering his next words.

"Before he walked out, Kakashi told me he was recommending I take the Captain's position," he said frankly. "Tonight, after watching the department mobilize, I realized what a good team he put together. If you hadn't been there, we probably would've lost him. " He seemed to be considering his next words very carefully.

"After that two month stint of chasing Tora, you know what Kakashi told me?"

Tenten shook her head – with Kakashi it really could have been anything.

"He told me that I needed to get to know you better."

Tenten's eyes grew wide. What the hell did _that_ mean? If there were two people with less chemistry between them, she couldn't name them.

Sasuke smirked. "I had the same reaction," he said dryly. "But he had a reason. He said that you saw things differently than I do, and that your instincts are good. He told me that the team is a resource, and to get to know all of my resources. He said I had to get to know you, so that I would trust you, and listen to you, because I would need you."

Tenten smiled slowly. "Was this before or after he pointed out that you are pretty terrible with women?" At Sasuke's arched eyebrow, she rolled her eyes. "You think he gives only one-sided speeches? You're lucky that I'm an Officer that just happens to be a girl, and not the other way around, so it doesn't bother me. He was worried about what would happen if someone else came into the department with an XX chromosomal arrangement. He might also have been afraid that one day you'd piss me off and I'd retaliate with something other than my arsenal of profanity," she smirked.

"He's had you in mind as a replacement for a while, you know," she offered. "He told me that when the time came I had to look out for you, and we had to work together, and to mind my mouth and my temper. I guess that time is here, Uchiha." She put out her hand. "Partners?"

He took the offered hand before doing something very out of character. He reached out his free hand to Tenten's shoulder, and she met his gaze evenly. "You and Kakashi are right. I don't generally get along with women," he admitted. "But I get along with you, and I see why Kakashi trusts you. Given the circumstances, I'm going to skip the formalities and keep it simple." He tightened his grip on her hand and shoulder, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm depending on you. I trust you." There was a pause. "I need you."

"I feel the same way, Uch.. Sasuke," she said with a gentle, if not weary smile. Putting her free hand on top of his. Her decision to use his first name did not go unnoticed. "Go home and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." She gave his hand a friendly squeeze, and he nodded. They had an understanding. They didn't have the luxury of time to get to know each other. It was another blind bet; they were trusting that they could depend on and trust in one another as comrades to keep things together for Kakashi.

Sasuke turned to the door, acknowledging Kiba's return as he turned to Shikamaru.

"Let's go," Sasuke said. Shikamaru sighed pushing away from the wall.

Kiba watched Sasuke followed the tactician down the hall before going back in to Tenten. She was leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around herself, staring down at the OR blankly.

Kiba crossed to her warily. "You ok?" he asked as Akamaru settled his head under her hand.

She glanced at the clock. "I guess it is tomorrow," she muttered. She turned and looked at him. "What's with that face?" she frowned. "You step in something Akamaru left in the hall?"

Akamaru whined as if offended and leaned against her legs and looked up at her. Kiba shook his head as if to clear it before speaking. "Hana just left. She took Pakkun with her."

Tenten nodded and turned back to watch – quite literally - over the Captain.

"Any changes?" he leaned against the window and looked at her pointedly. "With _anything_?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Sounds like the surgeries went well so far, but I'm waiting on confirmation from-"

Naruto came running in. "Did teme and Shikamaru leave?" he asked, out of breath. "Man, they are my ride!" He bolted down the hall, earning a wry look from Tenten.

Kiba narrowed his eyes at her. "I have to check something," he said suddenly. "Akamaru – stay here." With that, he was out of the door.

Tenten looked at Akamaru. "What got into him?"

* * *

Naruto found Sasuke at the main desk.

They were getting the final schematics from the hospital and several more forms that they would need to set up security for Kakashi during his time at the hospital.

Naruto was thinking.

He had stepped back into the stairwell in time to see Kiba race down the stairs and out the staff-only entrance. The more he thought about it, the more he thought he should go see if something was bothering the man. As he was going to bring it up with Sasuke, Shikamaru came sauntering back in from the same direction.

"Yo," he said. "We ready to leave?

"Ah," Sasuke put the files into his bag.

"Did you run into Kiba out there?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "He was getting some air. Hospital got to him."

"Oh." Naruto sighed. "That makes sense. I saw him running down the stairs like he was being chased; I figured something was up."

"Nothing you need to worry about," Shikamaru yawned.

"Alright then." Naruto nodded. "SHOTGUN!" he yelled and bolted to through the front door, leaving Officers Nara and Uchiha to stare after him in amusement.

"He can't be serious," Sasuke grumbled."

"He is," Shikamaru sighed. "Good thing you called shotgun before I went out to smoke."

Sasuke looked over to Shikamaru; they both knew he had done no such thing. "Good thing," he said gravely.

* * *

Kiba headed back into the hospital, grabbing two cups of coffee on his way upstairs. Tenten was just where he left her, her fingers idly running through Akamaru's coat. He wordlessly offered her the coffee, which she took gratefully. "Everything ok?" she asked.

He looked at her a moment, before blowing out a sigh. "Yeah. Just needed to blow off some steam. Hospitals aren't my thing."

Tenten nodded. "I get that. Not the best night shift we've ever had together," she half smiled.

Kiba agreed. "No. I think the night we were officially assigned to make sure that Naruto made it home after his last birthday was the best one," he smirked into his coffee.

"Much better than the time that we had to stake out the book store that was pre-releasing Icha Icha for a certain Captain," she drawled. "I was sure my butt was going to be asleep for at least a week."

"No doubt," Kiba grinned.

"Oh well," she sighed. "If I have to be here, and I have to be here for this reason, I'm glad I'm here with you."

She said it so simply and honestly, that Kiba knew it was nothing less than the total truth. "Same here, partner," he raised his Styrofoam cup of crappy strong-as-hell coffee in a toast and she reciprocated.

"Now," he said, putting down his cup and taking up a notebook he had left on one of the chairs. "Where were we?"

"I believe somewhere in the neighborhood of fuckityfuckfuckingdumbasspisspoorshooters and their cowardly dumbfuckingshitass need to fucking waste perfectly good bullets," Tenten said vaguely.

"Ahhh, yes." Kiba checked his notes. "Please, proceed Officer."

* * *

It was 4:00 AM. Several officers had cycled in and out of where Tenten and Kiba sat, either on their way to a shift or from it. Earlier, Kiba had stopped Obito from actually walking in on Tenten's tirade, not sure what the man would think of the flow of inventive cursing that seemed to be positively inspired this evening. "What, are you kidding?" he asked Kiba. "I've only heard tale of this kind of talent, and I understand after tonight we may never see it again. She's like the freeform rapper savant of profanity."

The doctors seemed to be wrapping up in the OR, and Tenten looked to Kiba nervously. No one had sent word in a while; were they taking Kakashi to recovery? ICU? What was going on?

It was only the two of them in the room now, and she was fidgeting. She buried her hands in Akamaru's fur to keep from twirling her kunai, flinging senbon, or any other potentially hazardous activity.

Kiba eyed her skeptically. "Twitchy? Is that you?"

Tenten looked up at him with a wry smile. "No; although I should be after drinking that weapons grade sludge the hospital is billing as coffee. I'm taking a break for a bit; don't want to risk introducing her to a hospital setting."

"Thank god," Kiba muttered, and she laughed lightly. Her eyes strayed back to the OR and then to the clock.

Tenten was still threading her fingers through Akamaru's fur. "Been a while since we heard anything," she said absently.

Kiba watched her carefully. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon," he offered.

As of on cue, there was a knock at the door. The two officers turned to face a doctor about their age with pink hair. "Dr. Haruno Sakura," she offered her hand to them both.

"Officers Inuzuka and Tenten," Kiba said in reply.

She nodded to them each. "I know it has been a long night. Captain Kakashi will be moved to recovery shortly. If you give me about 45 minutes, I'll get you two back there."

"Is he stable?" Tenten asked, her arms wrapped around herself as she flexed and clenched her fingers in the fabric of her shirt. Akamaru pushed against her and she butted into Kiba who automatically put an arm out to steady her. She was so fixed on the doctor, she didn't even notice.

"He isn't in imminent danger, but his condition is still critical," Dr. Haruno said slowly. "He isn't quite out of the woods yet." She looked to both officers before continuing. "I don't like to raise hopes or give assurances without hard data," she stated. "We will have a clearer idea of how he is stabilizing by mid-morning." She started to exit, then turned back around.

"Off the record?"

The two officers nodded at her.

"He is one of the most determined patients I've ever seen. He's in for a long recovery, but he's going to be okay."

Tenten nodded with a tight smile, and the doctor smiled sympathetically. "I'll be back for you," she said making a polite exit.

Kiba looked down to his fellow officer who was beginning to shake, suddenly aware he still had a hand at her back. "Tenten," he said. "What-"

She put a hand to her mouth and kept her other arm wound tightly around her midsection. He watched in awe as tears flowed down her cheeks silently and in rapid succession. A sense of panic struck him somewhere deep in his gut; Tenten was not one to cry and he found that he absolutely didn't like seeing it. "She said that he isn't in danger anymore," he scrambled for something to say. "It's going to be okay."

She pressed the thumb-side of her fist against her mouth and nodded. "I know," she rasped out in a surprisingly steady voice.

Kiba stared at her helplessly. He stepped in front of her and tipped her chin up. "Hey," he said forcing her to look up at him, her silent flow of tears unchecked. "He is going to be okay," he repeated.

She smiled through her tears, and he felt something odd release in his throat. She was _happy._

"I know," she repeated, eyes shining. Kiba smiled down at her and she gave a bark of laughter before flinging her arms around his neck, surprising the hell out of him. He wrapped his arms around her in a powerful hug, spinning her around and lifting her off of the floor. "He's going to be okay," she said happily as he set her down, keeping her in the circle of his arms as she let her hands slide to his chest.

His expression sobered. "You'd better tell Uchiha," he said with a hitch in his voice.

She shook her head, before resting her forehead on his chest, her shoulders shaking. A half-laugh half-sob escaped as she gasped in some air and gripped his upper arms. "You can tell him," she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. "I…" she looked up at the ceiling, blinking the tears away. "Shit, I hate crying," she laughed at herself.

She looked at Kiba, her expression somewhere between relief, jubilation, and smug self-satisfaction. "He's going to be okay," she said again.

"You knew he would be," Kiba half chided.

"I know, I know," she swiped impatiently at her eyes. "I was just –," she looked up at Kiba who raised his eyebrows. "I was just so damn scared," she said quietly.

"We all were," he pulled her into a tight hug and she – surprisingly – let herself be cradled against him as her chest hiccupped with unvoiced sobs. He held her a while longer before asking "Are you laughing or crying?"

"Both," she laughed. She pulled back and looked at him, her eyes still bright with tears, but her smile wide and genuine.

"Girls are weird," Kiba shook his head.

"_Yeah_ we are," Tenten agreed vehemently. "Look at me! I can't stop this crap," she gestured to her face. Kiba reached over to the box of tissues the hospital sensibly had in the room, and plucked out a few to hand to her. Her hands were shaking as she tried to dry her eyes, so he made her sit down. She leaned against him, exhausted; he had his arm across the back of her chair, absently rubbing her shoulder. They sat in silence for a little while she let the relief course through her. "He's going to be alright," she whispered.

Kiba rested his chin on the top of her head. "Yeah. Yeah he is."

"I told you that I'm glad you're here, right?" she asked offhandedly.

"You might have mentioned," he shrugged.

Akamaru came to sit at – or rather on – her feet, and she smiled. "You, too, Akamaru." She leaned over to hug him. "You're my favorite," she sighed into the soft fur.

"Hey!"

"Oh hush. You can be second favorite," she said over her shoulder.

"Let's see the one without opposable thumbs get your coffee." Kiba muttered, but he smirked to himself. He might be behind his dog, but that meant that everyone else – including certain other officers – were behind a dog and _him_. Suddenly, the shittiest day ever didn't seem as bad as it might otherwise have been.

* * *

True to her word, Dr. Haruno came back in 45 minutes and brought Kiba and Tenten to the Recovery floor. A few quick words from the obviously well respected doctor, and she was leaving them in the care of the nurse. The nurse cautioned them that Kakashi wasn't awake, but led them back to where he was sleeping. He had been assigned a private room for security reasons, and the nurse left them at the door. Tenten hesitated at the door for a moment before Kiba nudged her.

"Go on," he nodded, and she went into the room.

Tenten made her way in quietly and stopped at the foot of the bed. Kakashi had bandages on his head, his lip was stitched and swollen, his arm was heavily bandaged, and his leg was in some sort of splint. He was battered, bruised, and looked like hell. To Tenten, though, he had never looked better. She sat at the side of his bed and gently took his hand.

"Everything is going to be okay now, Captain," she said quietly. She paused, letting the muted electronic beats of his heart fill the room with their steady cadence. She felt Akamaru come in and nudge her leg - Kiba must need something. She gently put Kakashi's hand down and with a "Be right back," she headed out of the room.

Kiba was waiting for her, holding her duffel bag. The light dusting of snow on his shoulders and slight flush on his tattooed cheeks told her he had just run out to the car to get it for her. "The nurse says he is going to sleep for a while," he handed her the bag. "Come back in an hour," he said.

"But I-,"

"Seriously, Ten," he pinned her with a look. "You need a break. I've got this. Go to the lap pool, get a shower and then I promise you can hover to your heart's content."

"Fine," she grumbled. "I told him I'd be right back. You'll have to tell him you bullied me into leaving."

"I think he'll understand," he crossed his arms. "Now, scat," he shooed her away.

With half of a huff, she turned to head toward the hospital's rehab/rec area. She didn't want to admit it, but Kiba was right. She did need a break.

She had been a competitive swimmer for a large part of her life, and she still started most of her days at the YOUTH center pool. In fact, the bag she packed last night before coming on shift had her gear to get her laps in before going to breakfast and then home to bed.

She had been to the hospital pool a couple of times when it first opened; they had invited the police force to use their facilities. No one had rehab appointments this early, though, so she had the entire pool to herself. She didn't even bother with her swim cap and goggles this morning; she wanted the blind immersion of a strong swim. Her strokes were measured and powerful, and she cycled through her own regimen of laps of backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The tension melted out of her body as she glided through the water.

It had always been like this. This was her escape. Despite being a competitive athlete, she found she loved the solitude and solidarity of swimming. She cut her routine short, though, and hurried to get showered and changed back into her uniform. She swung by the small café that was now open in the hospital lobby and got some honest-to-goodness real food and not toxic-level coffee for her and Kiba.

"God, I love you," Kiba groaned as she handed him the bag.

"That's a fine way to talk to your breakfast." she arched her eyebrow.

He took out the breakfast sandwich piled with ham, sausage and egg, and sighed. "She'll never understand us," he said lovingly.

She put two breakfast sandwiches of ham, sasusage, bacon, and egg in front of Akamaru, and he ate them daintily. "Wow," Kiba grinned. "Someone is getting spoiled."

"He deserves it," Tenten huffed. "He is my favorite."

They finished up the food quickly and were sipping coffee when the nurse said they could see Kakashi.

"Is he awake?" Tenten asked, making her way into the room.

"Only just," she said quietly. "After I start his IV drip, it will be lights out for a fair few hours. I'd get your 'hellos' in quick."

She swiftly put her coffee on the table next to him and sat on the side of his good leg and gingerly held the hand of his injured arm. His good eye flicked open groggily and seemed to float around before finding her. He reached out for her with his good arm, and she quickly took his hand and held it tightly.

"Fancy meeting you here," he rasped out.

Tenten found her cheeks were wet with tears again. "Right?" she asked. "We really have to stop meeting like this. People will talk."

He gave her a small smile, and she knew he was exhausted. "You are stable, Captain," she informed him. "You are going to be okay – everything is alright now."

"Good to hear." He nodded. "I'd hate to miss the one and only chance to win a bet over you."

"But here's the thing, Captain." She leaned over and kissed his cheek tenderly. "I didn't lose."

He happened to look past her shoulder and saw Kiba watching them with some emotion he didn't have the wherewithal to identify. "Inuzuka," he nodded to him.

"Captain."

"I hear you, Tenten, and Uchiha are what got me here so quickly and in one piece. I owe you guys."

"Save it for the next trip to Ichiraku," Kiba suggested.

"Tenten," Kakashi looked to her, "Will you ask the nurse if I can have some water?"

"Sure," she jumped up to go find the woman that had led them in his room.

"Inuzuka," Kakashi motioned him forward. "I have a job for you."

Kiba raised his eyebrow. "You are retired, Captain."

"I was shot before I formally ended my time at the station. Rules say I will be on medical leave until I can return to formally resign. I'm still your boss, Inuzuka."

"Okay, okay," Kiba put his hands up. "You don't need to pull rank; you know I'll do whatever you ask me to, boss or no boss."

"Good. Uchiha is going to be my replacement. You are going to have to help him out. I already talked to Tenten a while ago; you know how crap he is with women. Make sure he doesn't do anything to get himself skewered. You know how best to handle Tenten."

"I don't know why people keep saying that," he scratched his head. "We all know she only listens when she feels like it."

"That's not true," Kakashi shook his head. "She always listens. She just doesn't always agree."

"Splitting hairs, Kakashi," Kiba scoffed.

The nurse came in ahead of Tenten. "She's talking to the doctor," she said, answering Kiba's unasked question as she handed Kakashi a glass of water.

He finished and she took the glass before moving to quietly fiddle with Kakashi's IV. "You'll be asleep in about two minutes, Captain," she said kindly. "Time to say good-bye for now."

Kakashi crooked a finger at Kiba, and the younger man leaned forward. Tenten came in as Kiba stood back up, and she rushed over to kiss Kakashi's head and say good-bye. The Captain looked at two of his officers as they stood side-by-side.

"Remember," he said, drifting off. "Comrades … take care of each other. Be… good to each other. All… of you."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison. Tenten sat and reached for Kakashi's hand, and the Captain smiled at her. He looked at Kiba pointedly, and he nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kakashi drifted off to sleep with a faint smile.

Kiba looked down at the top of his partner's head.

_"There is no guarantee that this hit was meant for me" Kakashi said quietly. "Until we know what this is all about, every one has to watch each other's backs. I owe your partner and I'm counting on you to make sure I have the chance to repay the favor. Don't go around jumping to conclusions or rushing in anywhere,- either of you - understood? No unneccessary risks. I'm counting on you."_

_"Understood, Captain."_

Kiba looked at his Captain and made a silent promise to both him and his partner. He would be there for his comrades and his partner. No matter what.

Tenten released Kakashi's hand, and with a tenderness most would not suspect her of having, placed it gently at his side. Kiba increased the pressure on her shoulder and she covered his hand with her own.

"Our part in this phase is done," she said, nodding to the recovery area. "The Captain will mend fine. Now all that is left is to catch those nogoodsonsof-"

Kakashi's heart monitor beeped several times before he sighed in his sleep and grated out "Language!"

Tenten blinked at the man while Kiba tried to keep a straight face. She quietly reached out for the the notepad and pen by his bed and scribbled a quick note.

She handed it to Kiba with a mournful sigh.

She had sketched a quick little tombstone. It read "R.I.P. Fuck."

Kiba nodded solemnly. "A heavy price to pay."

She looked to Kakashi, then back to Kiba with a shrug and a smile.

"Worth it."

* * *

**A/N: So the internet ate the update that I worked on yesterday. It was not a good scene. As always, thank you for reading, and reviews are always appreciated. **

**-GL**

**Updated 06/10/14 for stray punctuation. **


	4. Chapter Four: Hedge your bets

**A/N: Naruto is not my property. Just the story.**

******The ages of some of the characters have been shifted slightly to make better sense in the AU setting. Other details like blood type and birthdays are straight out of the data books. **  


* * *

**Double or Nothing**

**Chapter Four: ****Hedge your bets**

_ To "hedge your bets:" don't risk everything on one opportunity; try more than one thing._

Chōji showed up at the station at 6:45 AM with what would have been, under normal circumstances, an overabundance of food.

These were not normal circumstances.

The conference room in the Investigations department was already filling with officers from several departments as well as several retired officers and former colleagues of Kakashi. As Naruto was also in attendance, the food for the 7:30 AM meeting was definitely not going to go to waste.

The general meeting was fast, concise, and well directed. Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Shikaku conducted the meeting, and soon everyone had general assignments to go scout for information. Tenten and Kiba reported on Kakashi, and wishes for his recovery and good health were echoed by the entire department. Kakashi was going to have an officer on duty at all times during his stay in the hospital. Obito's wife Rin was keeping Kakashi company during the morning shift change, but The KPD academy instructor Might Guy was on first watch immediately after the meeting. Tenten was taking the night shift. Officers were encouraged to visit but not stay too long. The list of volunteers was staggering. The idea of a possible special detail guarding Kakashi after he left the hospital was mentioned, although not discussed as it was secondary to the goals of finding who had done this. Tenten smiled approvingly at Sasuke anyway. The meeting was adjourned and the officers dispersed.

As Tenten and Kiba left the meeting, Sasuke and Shikamaru looked up from their conversation.

"Get some rest," Sasuke advised them both. "Chances are your workloads are about to get much heavier after tonight."

"You, too," Tenten looked him over. "I don't need any more officers to watch at the hospital."

"Hn."

After that standard response, they excused themselves. Tenten went to her desk and began to switch her shoes out for her snow boots. She was just pulling them over her uniform pants when she found Akamaru pressing his head into her lap. "Hey there, handsome," she laughed.

"Akamaru," Kiba sighed, "I told you. She doesn't have treats." He pinned her with a look. "Do you?"

"No," Tenten shook her head as she stuffed her shoes into her duffel bag and zipped it shut. It wasn't quite a lie; she didn't have any on her person. Her stash was in the bottom drawer of the desk.

"C'mon," He adjusted his bag over his shoulder. "I'll take you home."

"I'm good," she said. "It's a short walk."

Kiba shook his head. "Not to go past Kakashi's and Hana's it's not."

Tenten looked up at him, standing to put on her coat, and waiting for an explanation. "I need to do a security check at Kakashi's, and you can see if there is anything you will want to bring him."

Tenten slung her duffel and backpack onto her shoulder. "Why Hana's?"

"Kakashi has his dogs boarded at my mom's place. Pakkun was supposed to go with Kakashi on vacation; you know that dog goes everywhere he does."

"And?"

"And the last time Pakkun had to stay away from Kakashi, he picked a fight with every dog at mom's kennel, and Hana has a full house at the clinic. It's probably best if he stays with someone. Someone that will be going to see Kakashi regularly. Someone that he already likes, trusts, and will behave for. Someone that he won't bite while they are snoring like he did to Naruto."

"Someone that is going to be me by the end of this conversation?" she raised an eyebrow as he took her bags from her and moved them toward the hall and the rear exit.

"Most likely," Kiba said easily, walking beside her. "Assuming you don't snore," he added.

"How the hell would I know," she muttered, reaching for the back door to hold it open for him. She looked down to Akamaru. "Why do I always let him talk me into the craziest shit?" she asked, backing against the door and crossing her arms to let Kiba by. He stopped in the doorway and raised his eyebrows at her, expectantly. "Fine." She sighed. "It's been a while since I had a roommate."

Kiba smiled at her. "It'll be a good change for you."

"Wait, you two are going to be roommates?!"

Tenten smothered a sigh while Kiba looked over to Naruto who was frozen in the hall, pointing and staring at them.

"Who's gonna be roomates?" a good-natured voice came from behind him as Chōji and Shikamaru came up behind Naruto. Chōji's eyes widened when he saw Tenten and Kiba staring back at them.

Shikamaru quickly took in the expressions of the two officers. "Naruto, are you being an idiot again?" he asked casually.

"But- but she said-" Naruto sputtered.

"More than usual," Kiba adjusted Tenten's bag on his shoulder.

"You _just_ said," he tried again, frustrated.

"And you wonder why you never get the undercover or infiltration assignments," Tenten grumbled. She nodded to Choji and Shikamaru. "See you both later. You-" she looked at Naruto. "You owe me dinner."

"What the heck for?" Naruto asked, totally exasperated.

"Snoring," she called over her shoulder and walked out of the door, Akamaru trotting behind her. Kiba shared a knowing, wry look with Shikamaru and Chōji before following after her.

The door almost shut when Naruto threw it open "Meet me at Ichiraku's before you go to the hospital! 4:30!"

"Fine." She she replied without turning around. She was buckling her seatbelt when Kiba slid into his seat. They both glanced at Naruto who was still standing inside of the door, staring at them both with arms crossed and suspicious expression.

Tenten looked over to Akamaru, who put his head on her shoulder. "You're the only sensible one in this place," she sighed. She looked over to Kiba. "How long until he sorts it all out?" she asked as he started the SUV

"Hmmm," he considered as he backed out of the lot. "Probably about 10 minutes after you explain it to him over ramen."

"Be fair," she looked out of the window with a hint of a smile, "It might only take five."

Kiba smirked. "Whatever you say, Roomie."

* * *

Tenten slid into the booth at Ichiraku about three minutes before she was supposed to be there, with Pakkun in her wake.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, masking a yawn. Naruto rolled his eyes. Tenten was more than punctual. Tenten was always early. He actually told her a dinner time 30 minutes after he intended to be there so that he wouldn't keep her waiting. He supposed she got it from all of those years of sports and training with Guy.

Ayame came to take their orders, two beers in hand. There was a perk to being a regular at a restaurant when you grew up with the owner's daughter. Ayame was around their age, and even though she wasn't exactly part of their group, she had been a part of their lives for forever.

She had barely walked away before Naruto blurted: "So are you and Kiba moving in together?"

Tenten rolled her eyes and took a gulp of her beer. "What did Shikamaru tell you."

"That I'm an idiot," he muttered. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"Yeah," she looked over at him. "It kinda does."

Naruto frowned. "I just thought-"

"I'm taking Pakkun in because he can't stay with Tsume or Hana because of the dogs or you because you snore," she cut him off. Naruto looked down at the small dog at her feet, the pieces falling into place, and his face flushing. "You are on assignment tonight?" she changed the subject, tracing the condensation on her pint glass with a fingertip.

Naruto nodded. "Checking out a couple of leads." He was prevented from saying more, since Ayame had arrived with their dinner.

She was reaching to clear Tenten's mysteriously empty beer when Tenten reflexively reached for her arm, holding it in place. Before Ayame could react, Tenten had pushed up the sleeve, revealing the ugly black and blue markings punctuated by several needle marks on the inside of her arm. She looked up at the woman sharply, and noted the weariness in her eyes even as her face flushed. Naruto stared.

"What happened, Ayame" she asked levelly.

Ayame looked to them both before blushing. "I-I was here when Naruto told Umino Iruka about the situation with Captain Kakashi. I couldn't help but overhear. When I realized I was his blood type, too, I asked dad if I could take off to go with Iruka to the hospital to donate."

They both stared at her, mouths slightly open. Tenten arched an eyebrow at the extensive bruising on her arm, and turned it critically in her hands.

"Who was your phlebotomist" she asked, "the plumber?" She released her, and Ayame stepped back as if burned, reflexively putting her hand over the bruising as she pulled down her sleeve.

"I apparently have small, deep veins that like to roll," she said sheepishly. "It wasn't their fault that the first vein blew. It just took a while to get a good...stick."

Naruto looked to her, his expression kind. "You did that for Kakashi? You told me once that you hate needles!"

Ayame smiled gently at him. "He is one of our best customers next to you," she reached into her apron pocket and put the extra napkins Naruto would inevitably need on the table. "If the Konoha Police Department stopped eating here, it would take months to make up the business."

Naruto and Tenten both knew that even if that was true, it had nothing to do with why she had stepped forward. Konoha was a town of very loyal residents.

"Wow," Naruto said softly. "Thanks, Ayame."

She gave a quick nod, and moved on to another table.

Naruto watched her go. "Can you believe it?" he asked as he stared after her.

Tenten smiled at her friend, and tossed an old phrase back at him. "Believe it," she winked.

* * *

Naruto stayed after Tenten left to go to her hospital shift with the excuse of wanting to finish his beer. On impulse, he sent a text, inviting a friend to join him before he left for his shift.

He was looking down at his phone when Kiba finally walked in.

"'Bout time," Naruto grumbled.

"What," Kiba raised an eyebrow at him, "Were you afraid you'd have to have fifths?"

Naruto ignored him, especially since his next helping would have been his ninth.

Kiba nodded to Ayame who had brought him a beer before asking "The usual?"

"Please," he said and she hurried away to a beckoning customer. He looked over to Naruto. "So what's up? Finally figure out who Tenten's roommate is, or did you call me in to explain it?" he taunted, before taking a drink of his beer.

Naruto flushed, but didn't answer directly. "Tenten just left a little bit ago. She is on Kakashi's night rotation."

Kiba raised his eyebrows. Of course he knew Tenten had been here; he had heard Naruto invite her to dinner.

And he could still smell her lotion.

And Akamaru had attempted to track her and probably Pakkun when he first came in before circling and falling at a huff at Kiba's feet, disappointed his favorite sneak-feeder wouldn't be there.

And of course he knew about her rotation; the whole department knew about her rotation.

"And?" he asked Naruto.

"Well," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I usually work with Sasuke, and you usually work with Tenten, but teme is busy with Shikamaru, and Tenten is busy guarding Kakashi. I figured we might partner up."

Ayame slipped a bowl of beef ramen in front of Kiba and a plate of just beef in front of Akamaru, excusing herself with a quick smile.

Kiba separated his chopsticks. "Did you ask Uchiha about this?" Kiba asked, stirring the dish in front of him.

Naruto gave a half shrug. "I mentioned it to him. I think he is game." Naruto sat back in his seat, toying with a chopstick. "It's like Shikaku said at the meeting. We can't rule out the possibility that the hit wasn't meant for Kakashi, or that if it was for him, we can't rule out that it might have been because he is the department head rather than he is Kakashi." Naruto finished awkwardly.

Kiba took a long drink of his beer while Naruto talked. "What about that?"

"We have no idea what we are getting into. The only thing we do know is that we have to watch each other's backs." Naruto said firmly. "We shouldn't be doing work without a partner."

Kiba chewed his food slowly, eyeing Naruto who, while undoubtedly totally sincere, clearly wasn't saying something.

"What else," he asked, pinning him with a look.

Naruto returned it. He had an answer. He had a good answer. He wasn't sure he should give that answer. He'd stick with the simple answer. "Kakashi would want to make sure we didn't go overboard."

Kiba snorted. "Then we are probably the last two people he would pair up. Even when we were kids, we tend to egg each other on, not balance each other out."

Naruto shrugged. "Fine. You watch my ass so I don't get chewed out by Uchiha, and I'll watch yours to make sure that you don't get skewered by Tenten. Wait. Scratch that. Tenten will kick my ass if anything happens to her partner, so let's both stay out of trouble to avoid pissing her off."

Kiba considered this. "I'll make you a deal," he said slowly. "We can partner up when we are able. There are going to be times where I'll definitely need backup." He looked up at him. "When one of us isn't working, we check on the other partners."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke is always in the office. So you mean Tenten."

Kiba leaned back, swirling his beer. "I mean both of them. Like you said, this is a weird situation; no telling what either of them will do or what will come up." He took a long drink of his beer, and returned it to the table all but empty. "You know where Tenten is bound to start looking for answers. You also know she won't hesitate to go alone. She won't wait until I'm off assignment."

Naruto nodded. It was the same for all of the officers, really, but most of the regular teams were currently intact.

Kiba checked his phone for the time before pulling a small notebook out of his coat. "I have my list of leads to check. Let's see if it is worth overlapping our efforts tonight."

Naruto took out his own list and a map. Twenty minutes later they had an outline of where they needed to check; it would make sense to partner up. "We can hit this neighborhood last," Kiba circled an area on the map "Even I won't head there alone. Too rough. Good news, is, we don't have to be subtle at all. In fact," a slow smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth, "we'll blend in better if we mix it up a little."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Count me in."

* * *

The second meeting was moved to 9:30 AM to let the night shift get a chance to rest (they didn't _all_ work until 6:00 AM), and the morning shift to get a chance to get their other work out of the way. The agenda was a repeat of the first, except with more information to be shared and more conclusions to be drawn. Asuma and Shino had a few leads that were supposed to get them some answers. Obito had contacted some retired members from their years with KPD for any (more) potential leads, and he was working with Genma to narrow them down. Luckily or unluckily, a brawl had broken out in one of the rougher neighborhoods that had lead to the arrest of quite a few potential suspects, cutting out a day or two of hunting down those leads. Arresting officers Uzumaki and Inuzuka had responded to the call first, and had wrapped a good bit of it up before Sai and Yamato had arrived on the scene.

Guy was pleased to report that Kakashi had officially been declared as stable and had spent yesterday in ICU. Today he was slated to move a private room to begin recuperating under the watchful eyes of Dr. Tsunade's team. Guy would be returning to the hospital as soon as the meeting was over, but assured everyone that his student Lee was tending to Kakashi in his absence. Tenten had the night shift again, and visitors were still encouraged. They were warned not to provoke the night guard, because even if her vocabulary had been recently reduced, her personal arsenal had not. The meeting dismissed with new assignments, and continued determination.

Tenten stood and stretched after the meeting and Pakkun followed suit. Chōji, who had been sitting next to her, smiled down at the little dog. "Glad that Pakkun doesn't seem too down," he said kindly.

Tenten eyed her furry roommate. "Probably because he hogs the bed," she muttered. However, she had yet to be bitten, so she could assume she did not snore. Chōji gave her a sympathetic look.

"Tell you what. Come on over to the restaurant. We'll have a hot breakfast, go over what we need to go over for the carnival next week, and I'll take you home. And before you say it," he held up his hands, ticking off her potential objections on his fingers. "I know you can walk home, I know it's not far, I know I don't have to do that, and it's actually a way for me to have some company and finalize the plans."

Tenten smiled genuinely at him. "Even I can't argue with that."

"I have to file my report. Meet you out front in ten," Chōji pushed away from the table, leaving her to follow when ready. She gathered her things into her backpack, casting a sidelong glance to where Naruto and Kiba were talking to Shikamaru and Sasuke. She cast a critical eye over the two of them; Naruto looked far too innocent and Kiba looked far too smug for them to have not had a hand on the brawl last night. She didn't know whether to be worried for them, angry at their stupidity, or feel left out of the fun. Surely Uchiha hadn't been foolish enough to pair the two hotheads of the department, had he? She caught Naruto's eye, and he looked away quickly. Kiba was purposely not looking in her direction.

Tenten narrowed her eyes at them. She made her way for the door before snapping her fingers three times. Seconds later Akamaru was following her to her desk, trotting alongside Pakkun. Kiba shot a look over the heads of his fellow officers, and it was her turn to not look in his direction.

Five minutes later, he rounded the corner to her desk. Pakkun and Akamaru were both contentedly munching on treats, and she was sitting in her chair, waiting for him.

"That's playing dirty," Kiba leaned a hip against her desk and crossed his arms.

She looked him up and down. "Where were you last night?" she asked calmly.

Kiba raised his eyebrows. "Why do you want to know, mother?"

Tenten snorted. "Tsume would've joined you in that brawl. Hell, she would have started it." She looked to him for a second, her poker face unreadable. "Just please tell me you weren't dumb enough to actually start a fight… no. Wait. Tell me you weren't dumb enough to let Naruto start a fight in one of the roughest joints for a 50 mile radius."

Kiba held his hands in the air. "Neither Naruto, nor I started anything." Tenten continued to stare daggers, like she was trying to find the hole in his story, and he continued to return her stare calmly.

"Fine," she muttered, standing to gather her things. She zipped up her coat, grabbed her backpack, and scooped up Pakkun. "Just don't do anything so monumentally stupid that you end up in a bed next to Kakashi." She warned him.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. "You need a ride home?"

"No. I'm going with Chōji. Thanks, though." She started to move past him, but Akamaru blocked her path. "What's wrong, boy?" she asked, surprised.

"He's probably worried that you are going to start poking around your old neighborhood off of the clock," Kiba said. "He knows how you love to investigate."

Tenten threaded her free hand through the large dog's fur. "Well you can tell him not to worry; I can look out for myself. Besides, who has time off of the clock?"

She didn't see him make the barely perceptible movement releasing Akamaru from blocking her way. "Be careful," Kiba said, nodding down to Akamaru. "You know how he worries."

Tenten gave Akamaru a final good skritch before looking up at Kiba. "You, too."

He watched her head out of the doors and get in the car with Chōji. Naruto peeked around the corner. "Is it safe?"

Kiba arched an eyebrow at him. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Did she find out about last night?"

"I'm sure she figured it out," Kiba said dryly, "but I told her the truth - we didn't start anything." That was absolutely the truth. Kiba and Naruto had sat back and watched… as Tsume started the brawl.

Nartuo grinned. "Same time tonight?"

Kiba smirked. "You're on."

* * *

**_Hot Tip: Information the bookmaker is not yet privy to._**

Day Three: 8:15 AM

Officer Uchiha sat at his desk reading a report, Tenten sipped at her coffee, and Pakkun sat at her feet. She cast an eye over the inbox on Sasuke's desk.

"I don't think I've ever seen that empty," she said with a half smile.

Sasuke reflexively flicked a look at his inbox with a "Hn." Oddly enough, as far as paperwork was concerned, the department was practically back to normal.

But a department is much more than paperwork; a department is a network of invisible and indivisible bonds that interconnect its members timelessly. The attack on Kakashi had resulted in an immediate and thorough response from the entirety of the Konoha Police Department, and a myriad of people from expected and unexpected places. Sasuke's own brother who had served under Kakashi for a brief time before moving on to the federal level had lent an officially unofficial hand. Kiba's mother and sister rallied their dogs and aided the tracking unit. Kakashi's retired former partner Obito, who happened to also be an Uchiha, had gone immediately to Sasuke and helped him better navigate the wide field of suspects generated by Kakashi's longstanding career. Sai was technically still military and only on loan to the KPD, but on an indefinite basis. He had been black ops and an elite assassin, and was tapping into leads and resources far beyond the normal scope of the department.

Sasuke, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, and Asuma had gone to different contacts, informants, moles, and figures in the underworld to find out all that they could about what happened. Tenten had grown up in a rough area, and still had contacts there. It was winter, and a harsh one at that; many of the locals were staying in, which meant that she had to go to them. She had done two days' worth of visits before Sasuke realized precisely what she was up to, and that she was at it alone.

"Good report," he said finally. "But from now on, take someone with you," he instructed her.

"Can't," she shrugged. "These people can smell a cop a mile away. They will talk to me because they know Kakashi is important to me, but that's it. If they see Shino or you or someone lurking around, they won't talk. It isn't that unusual for me to check in with these people when the weather is bad; even the local gangs leave me alone when I'm checking in on their grandmothers. Sorry, Captain. There isn't anyone I can bring."

Sasuke stared at her.

"I did have Pakkun," she said, meeting his stare evenly.

"Well at least that is something," he muttered before leaning back and tenting his fingers. "Don't you volunteer at that Winter Carnival that they have?"

"Yeah. That is next week."

"And I assume you got Chōza to donate food from his restaurant again, correct?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "Chōji and I usually go and work the festival, but you can't do much talking while slinging food."

"You aren't slinging food this time," Sasuke flipped open a file on his desk. "They set up a designated area to eat this year; you will be working the tables; clearing them, bringing over coffee; things that give you time to speak to the attendees."

"That's fine," Tenten shrugged. "I can do that. I used to waitress."

"Then hold off on any additional inquiries in that area until then."

She looked to him, deciding what to say, before nodding. "Alright."

"And if by chance something does happen to 'come up,' before then," she could practically hear the quotations, "take Inuzuka with you. He looks disreputable enough to pass for something other than a police officer."

Tenten stared at Sasuke for a moment before chuckling. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor."

"Who said I was joking?" Sasuke asked, not looking up from where he was taking notes. "Come up with some kind of cover between the two of you."

"What, like we are selling girl-scout cookies?" Tenten asked sarcastically. "I bring anyone around, Uchiha, it's going to be suspicious. I had a hard enough time explaining the dog. I was terrified of dogs as a kid." Sasuke's eyebrows raised at this. How had someone terrified of dogs ended up partnered with Inuzuka? "Look," she said, levelling with him. "If anyone comes in, I'm going to have to spend the whole time explaining the person, and not finding out what is going on. They won't talk in front of anyone. Besides," she continued, "These people know I don't have anyone outside of work that I'd be bringing to the old neighborhood." She said it frankly and without any emotional inflection. It wasn't stated as a regret; it was a fact.

"Then say he's _new_ and from outside of work," Sasuke flipped one file closed and opened another. "Say he's your boyfriend or something. Surely if they trust you, they will trust him."

He finally looked up because she hadn't said anything, which was more telling than if she had.

She was staring into her coffee mug, working a muscle in her jaw like she was trying very hard _not_ to say something. "Not a good choice," she said finally in a clearly and carefully controlled voice. "Old women have long memories. Besides, he has two tattoos on his face and runs around with a large dog. Someone is bound to recognize him." She sipped her coffee, seeming to be deep in thought. "They know Chōji from the Winter Carnival, and he is well liked. If all else fails, showing up with food is always a good way to set people at ease. If I can't get a hold of him, I'll just try to avoid the situation entirely." She stood. "Will that be all, captain?" she asked with a professional detachment that set alarms off in his head.

"Ah. See you at the meeting."

She gave him a sharp nod before leaving the office. Sasuke watched her with his eyes narrowed. Something had just happened, but he didn't know what it was. He stared out of his office. She had said nothing wrong or unprofessional, but her attitude had changed abruptly. It was like watching her close and lock a glass door between them. Sai was passing his office and had seen Tenten depart.

"Did you say something to upset Tenten?" he asked.

"Not that I know of," Sasuke frowned.

"That doesn't mean anything," Sai shrugged. "You are almost as bad with women as I am. Here," he flipped him a book. "Hold on to this. I have another copy."

Sasuke glanced down at the book.

_Women Are From Venus And Men Still Aren't Listening Or Asking For Directions; A Guide To All Of The Ways You Are Probably Screwing Up Around Women. _

He looked back to Sai who nodded knowingly.

"I have some notes in the margins from my own observations and from meeting with Kakashi. Feel free to add your own. Oh, and if she is in a particularly bad mood, do not attempt to ask if she is menstruating and therefore in need of salty foods or chocolate. She will not appreciate it, no matter how well it is intended. See you at the meeting," Sai ambled off, and Sasuke stared at his retreating back.

With a snort Sasuke tossed the book in his desk. He didn't have time to dwell on this at the moment. He and Tenten had an understanding that they didn't know each other well, but that they were working together for Kakashi's sake. They were just going to have to cut each other some slack.

Shikamaru came in to help him prepare for the meeting. So far, they had divided their forces to narrow down and eliminate some of the potential suspects. At least two gangs had sent word through the grapevine that they were not responsible for Kakashi's attack, but everything had to be verified. Sasuke and Shikamaru were going over the information they had so far when a knock came on Sasuke's office door.

"Officer Uchiha?" the oddly sibilant voice came from the other side. "My name is Mr. Gamariki," he said. "Here is my card."

Sasuke and Shikamaru took in the oddly prim effeminate man with the red bow tie, the full lips, and the lowered lashes, and looked down at the offered card. It read:

_Mr. Gamariki_

_Mount Myōboku Productions_

The two men looked to the uninformative card, then to the oddly frog-like man, faces blank.

"Ah," he cooed. "I see you're impressed. Don't be intimidated; we all have to start somewhere. Now," he took a seat and placed a sharp looking briefcase across his lap. With an impressive 'snap!' the latches flew up and he removed several files the case before handing them over to the very confused young men. "Let's get down to business. My employer has asked me to come and speak with you and offer his help. It has been quite some time since he has had occasion to liaise with KPD, but he recently encountered one of your Officers and was very impressed."

"Forgive me, Mr. Gamariki," Shikamaru asked politely, "But I am new to the department, and I am afraid I don't know what is going on, and the Interim Captain is far too polite to explain in front of you. Since we are in the middle of an emergency situation, I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

Sasuke kept his face impassive, but was exceedingly grateful that the lazy Nara had taken the initiative here.

"Oh, you must be the Nara's boy," Mr. Gamariki cooed. "Same impossible hair and everything. Well don't you worry your little pineapple head about anything. These documents should help clear some things up," he indicated the files he had just handed him. Shikamaru colored at the remarks and Sasuke found he suddenly had a cough.

The two geniuses of the department began skimming through the documents, their eyes growing wide. "This is…" Shikamaru stared at the paper before looking back up at the fastidious man.

"A listing of all of the known gangs and crime syndicates, known members, their boundaries, their recent targets, as well as information for the surrounding areas and those known to have targeted Kakashi in the past. I think you'll find," he pursed his lips and put a finger to his cheek, "that this was not an organized attempt. If you look here –"

"Mr. Gamariki," Shikaku leaned against the doorway. "I heard that you had come."

"Ah! Shika-chan, so good to see you again!" he squealed. "I see your boy is new to the department and doesn't know about me. Naughty man to not tell him about your old friends."

Sasuke and Shikamaru exchanged another glance before staring back at Captain Nara, Strategic Response Unit and Intelligence Division.

Shikaku put his hands up in apology. "You know how it is; confidentiality and all of that." He pulled the door shut behind him. "I can't go around telling everyone how we have a direct pipeline to the most comprehensive information source in the country, can I?" he asked in a low voice. "Son," he looked pointedly at both of the younger officers. "I know you have heard of Mount Myōboku Productions; the media empire is extensive and has publishing offices throughout the world. One of KPD's finest branched out into the private sector and has his own information network now. He hasn't had a chance to work directly with Kakashi yet, though," Shikaku looked back to Mr. Gamariki. "Isn't that right?"

"True," the odd man shook his head sadly. "When he heard about what happened, he decided to get in touch with KPD immediately."

"I was going to ask for his help," Shikaku bowed, "so you have saved me a great deal of effort. Not surprising that he already knew what we needed."

Mr. Gamariki smiled, and pulled two more things out of his briefcase before closing it with a brisk 'snap!"

"Well, as I was beginning to tell these young gentlemen, he had recently run across one of your young Officers, and was duly impressed. I take it he spoke with you already?" Shikaku nodded. "Well then I'll let you tell the tadpoles all of the details. Two things. First: You are going to want to reach out to this contact," he handed him a small, sealed envelope, "But only after you've talked to Kakashi. This is someone right out of the little black book, and you are going to want to know where Kakashi stands with him before approaching. Second: Be a dear and pass this on to your K-9 specialist, will you? It is a detailed request for some information that will help Jira-chan with his new novel."

"Novel?" Sasuke blurted out.

Mr. Gamariki raised an eyebrow to him. "Well, that is what I shall call them," he said in a much deeper, more disgruntled voice. "I don't care what people say, they are tasteful adult literature, and anyone who says otherwise-,"

"Officer Uchiha is just surprised, that is all,' Shikaku soothed the persnickety little man. "I hadn't yet told him that your boss is Jiraiya," he shot Sasuke a look and the younger man immediately did his best to look impressed.

"I had absolutely no idea," he said honestly.

"Oh, is that all," Mr. Gamariki returned to his light, flirtatious way of speaking. "Oh, well, these young ones are so darling and naïve, aren't they? Well, I'll leave you to your work. Contact me directly if you need more help, Shika-chan!" With that, he sashayed out of the room, leaving two very confused junior officers, and one amused senior one.

"What. The hell. Was _that_?" Sasuke finally asked as soon as the door clicked shut.

"That was Mr. Gamariki. Don't be fooled by his appearance. That man is fiercely cunning and deadly when he needs to be. He is one of Jiraiya's most trusted operatives, and serves as his personal assistant."

"I'll bet," Shikamaru snorted.

"Jiraiya was one of the best investigators to ever come out of Konoha. He was taught by Asuma's father, and in turn taught Kakashi's predecessor. Whatever information he decided to pass on must be analyzed at once. Let's get Inoichi and Ibiki and go over this before the meeting. Oh, and give this," he handed the envelope over "to Kiba. Apparently Jiraiya is branching out into a crime setting for his new 'Icha Icha' story."

Shikamaru sighed. "Jiraiya sent you over here, didn't he?" he asked in his bored tone. "This is so troublesome."

Shikaku smirked. "I reached out to Jiraiya as soon as I heard about Kakashi. He already knew, and told me he would be sending Mr. Gamariki over as soon as he had some information. I just got a text that he was on his way; he wasn't supposed to show up here for another hour."

"But his information is good?" Sasuke asked sharply.

"Jirayia's information is the best," Shikaku said seriously.

Sasuke and Shikamaru exchanged glances, and the younger Nara shrugged. Sasuke nodded. "Then let's get started."

* * *

**A/N: I ****am unable to contact anonymous reviewers to thank them properly for taking their time to review, so I extend my thanks to you here. It is rewarding to get feedback in any form!**

**If you are visiting this story for the first time because I am still working on an update for "You Must Believe in Spring," I promise more updates are coming on both stories. Thanks for sticking it out with me!**

**Best wishes, friends!**


	5. Chapter 5: Joker in the Pack

_A/N: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am not Masashi Kishimoto._

* * *

**Double or Nothing**

**Chapter Five: Joker in the Pack**

_**joker in the pack: someone or something that is likely to change a situation in an unexpected way**_

Tenten reloaded and fired. Magazine emptied, she pulled the slide back, released the magazine, and put the gun with the ejector port face up, pointing down range. She reached up to recall the target carrier, and eyed the approaching target critically.

It had been many hours since she had slept, and many more hours since she had slept for longer than four hours at a time. She wanted to be sharp for the upcoming meeting, and her nerves were more raw than she liked them to be.

Tenten took a deep breath.

It wasn't Uchiha's fault.

Uchiha didn't know how annoying it was to be told to take someone with her on her solo investigations. He didn't know that it pissed her off when she knew damned well Sai, Asuma, Shino, and Sasuke himself had done solo investigating.

Under normal circumstances, she would not be resistant to going to a bad neighborhood with a partner. She would gladly cooperate with whoever she was assigned to cooperate with, and go in as a cop, or even undercover. As the lone female in their division, and the only one of their age in the whole department, she had done her fair share of undercover assignments. It wasn't unfair to assume she would take on the cover of a significant other, really.

But this wasn't an undercover assignment. This wasn't a "bad neighborhood." This was her old neighborhood. This wasn't going as a cop, or as an undercover agent. This was going as Tenten who happened to be a cop, not a cop that happened to be from the neighborhood. He couldn't possibly know how important that fine line of differentiation was.

Despite having grown up with several of the officers and having been friends before and during their academy days, Tenten was incredibly protective of her personal life, and, specifically, her past. Kakashi would have known that interference in this particular brand of investigation was unwise. That part of her life was off limits to the department. She would go to her sources, get her information, and return. She would not be questioned on this one, lone area of her intelligence gathering. Kakashi knew that this was off-limits.

She couldn't expect Uchiha to understand.

Not yet.

Perhaps the person that could understand that particular sentiment had just entered the range behind her.

She pulled her earmuffs around her neck and flicked the earbuds out of her ears. She needed to pull herself together, and she couldn't vent her frustrations on fellow officers. She could, however, decimate a population of paper men.

Sai had been watching her from between the bulletproof double doors. He waited until she had unloaded her gun and the carrier scuttled toward her, the paper victim in tow. She acknowledged him with a half nod and pulled a fresh target out.

"Good grouping," he said, looking to the peppering of bullet holes on the target. There were several tight clusters around the center bulls-eye, as well as key vital areas. One grouping was obviously a smiley face. "Got bored?" he asked her.

She gave a small smile. "Yeah."

She changed out the target and sent it back down range.

"What are you doing here?" Sai asked as he put his own target up and sent it down range.

"Early meeting with Uchiha," she said, putting away the 9mm and pulling out the .38 special long-barrel. She flicked out the empty cylinder and laid the gun on bench while she fished out the ammunition from her bag.

Sai eyed her critically as he got his own 9mm out.

"Staying for the meeting?" he asked casually.

"Yes," she began loading the bullets into the gun. She looked over to him. "You going to shoot or you going to talk?"

Sai gave a polite half smile. "I am going to shoot. After all, I have to show you up at our training exercise next week."

"Fat chance," Tenten grumbled, replacing her ear protection. It was just the two of them on the range this morning. She kept an eye on the clock; she didn't want to be late to the meeting. She flicked the cylinder back in and fired six shots off rapidly. This was not a department issued gun, but she regularly practiced with a variety of fire arms to keep herself sharp. She reloaded and repeated three more times before returning the target and packing up.

Sai reached over her head and removed the target before reaching for the small pile of paper victims she had stacked behind her. Tenten moved slowly, ignoring him as he calmly leafed through the professionally perforated men.

She knew that he noticed. He was trained to notice things. Sai was shit with people – women in particular – but he missed nothing.

"Looks like you will give me a run for my money," he finally said quietly, handing the targets back to her.

She shouldered her bag and gave him a tight smile before stuffing the targets in the recycle bin, and pushing her way through the double bullet-proof glass doors that separated the firing range from the rest of the police station. Sai turned to see one of the targets sitting in the bin at a strange angle, as if trying to escape. "You won't make it," Sai said to the paper, noting that Tenten had worked her way around the entire target in tight groupings and zeroing in on different areas.

Every zone of the targets had been addressed.

Every zone except for one.

He had noticed it when training with her for the special ops teams. In fact, he and Tenten were scheduled for a training detail with Ibiki and Kakashi next week; Itachi had arranged the whole thing at Ibiki's request months ago. Sai absently wondered if Sasuke would go in place of the captain. He looked down at the paper target and his original train of thought returned.

Tenten avoided only one shot in her regular training.

Next week, though, every single target she was given was sure to have it – Ibiki would make sure of it.

"Consider yourself lucky," he told the crumpled paper as he packed his own things and headed toward the meeting. The target moved slightly as the air from the heating vent blew through the room to slide through the holes covering the paper – everywhere except for the head.

* * *

Tenten returned her fire arms to her range bag and secured it in her locker before heading to the meeting. Something about her showing up to meetings with additional weaponry tended to make others nervous.

Standing at her locker, she took a few deep breaths before straightening her uniform. She hadn't been to bed yet, and she hadn't had much sleep the previous two days. Her visits to her contacts in the old neighborhood took time. Uchiha was right in some respects; the heavy snow meant more than just the old ladies were home in the day. She had been surprised to see Karashi answer the door at Sanshō's apartment that morning after Kakashi had been shot.

"_You look nice, Karashi," she said, noting his suit. "Come to check on your mom?"_

_"Y-yeah," he stammered, glancing over his shoulder. "She's had a cold lately, but-"_

_"I'll fix it right up," she said, sounding miserably stuffed up. Tenten entered to see her standing at the oven on a stool, clutching a shawl over her thin frail-looking shoulders as she alternated between stirring to large metal pots. "I just needed Karashi to check my recipe," she sniffed. _

_Karashi grimaced as he watched her. "Don't add anything else," he warned her. "You can't smell anything, and you almost poisoned yourself." _

_Tenten wasn't so sure she wasn't still in the process of poisoning herself. The two large metal pots were filled to the brim with bubbling, vile liquid; one black and one red._

_"Is… is she going to eat that?" she asked, darting her eyes to the pots._

_Karashi nodded. "Old family remedy." He checked his watch, his eyes wide. "I have to go – I'm going to be late for a funeral." He looked at her. "Come by the restaurant soon," he said hopefully. "We can catch up." _

_"Sure," she said, eyeing his mother cautiously. "As long as you are the chef on shift."_

_"I heard that!" Sanshō called over her thin, bent shoulders. _

_Karashi grimaced again as he gave a brief nod to Tenten, said his goodbyes and rushed out of the door. Tenten warily approached the kitchen, watching as Sanshō used two arms to stir the giant wooden spoon. She knew better than to think the old woman was actually frail. She was tiny, but she could sling those giant metal pots around like it was nobody's business._

_"So good to see you," Sanshō said over her shoulder. "Care to stay for lunch?" _

_"No!" Tenten said quickly before adding, "Thank you." She stood near the oven and watched cautiously. "I have to get to home and then back to work tonight."_

_"You young people are going to work yourselves to death!" she sighed, reaching on tiptoe for a plate in a cabinet. Tenten got it down for her. "Karashi is filling in at the restaurant for me, but he has taken up a side job as well. Seems that this family he is working for has had a rash of funerals he has had to attend! Can you imagine? Guess that it must be a tightly knit group if they can come together like that. I guess the boss takes this all very seriously. I think Karashi is catering these events. I lose track," she shrugged and stirred her witch's brew of bubbling promises of restored health._

_Tenten watched her, noting that the strain on her face wasn't from her actions or her illness. Something was on her mind. _

_"'Course, I've never actually met anyone he works with," she admitted after a moment. "I assume they are nice boys. You always want your kids to get in with nice people. Given our situation, we don't need any trouble. Harder and harder to avoid in this area. Maybe you or Lee can check in with him," she said offhandedly. "Lee is coming to see me later today; half of this food is for him. Maybe you two can go have lunch at the restaurant sometime this week and just say hello to Karashi."_

_Tenten knew a request when she was hearing one. The relief of not having to consume even an iota of the culinary torture that was simmering on the stove made her grateful enough to respond, "Sure – we can do that. Who is he working for, anyway?"_

_Sanshō put the lid on the giant pot and stepped down from her stool, fishing in her apron as she spoke. "I can never remember, really, so I wrote it down to ask Lee if he had ever heard of these names." Tenten took the slip of paper and committed them to memory. _

_"I don't recognize them," she said, but I will see what I can find out."_

_"You are a dear," Sanshō said warmly. "Are you sure I can't send you home with some curry?"_

_"I'm positive," Tenten said with a polite finality. "I'll start the dishes, and you tell me all about what is new in your world._

Tenten shook her head at the recollection. Maybe next time she had to go to Sanshō's, she'd take Uchiha. A devilish smile crossed her face. He had insisted she bring someone, hadn't he? Even Pakkun had only snuck in the door and stayed firmly by the exit. Perhaps Uchiha would fare better.

Cheered by this thought, she smothered a yawn and made her way down the hall and to her desk, where Pakkun was patiently waiting for her.

She hadn't been to bed yet, and the nights were not getting any shorter but the meeting was starting soon. She sat in her chair, put her elbows on her desk, and rubbed her eyes. "_I can wait until after the meeting is over to get some shut-eye_," she thought to herself. _"Just a couple of hours more, then a solid rest, and then back out to…"_

She didn't finish her mental list. She opened her eyes to see a large cup of coffee from her favorite tiny local coffee stand hovering in front of her.

"Oh, am I glad to see you," she breathed fervently, taking the cup with something bordering on reverence.

She took a long sip of the hot beverage and smiled to herself leaning back in her chair with an expression somewhere between exhaustion and ecstasy.

She swiveled her chair around to find herself nose to nose with Akamaru, who was holding a pastry bag in his mouth. Tenten frowned. She took the bag – which was double bagged, even though Akamaru wasn't a drooler- and gave a little cry of delight. Sesame bagels and… what was this? She fished out a cup of…

"Instant ramen?" she asked Akamaru, staring at the container.

"Limited edition, instant ramen!" a voice called from somewhere behind her, and by 'a voice,' she meant 'Naruto.' She heard the familiar "Idiot" grumbled, and looked over to Akamaru skeptically. This level of bribery could only mean one thing.

"How bad do they look," she asked Akamaru warily.

"Well, Kiba never looks that great to begin with," Naruto popped around the corner in civilian clothes, "but I'm only slightly less handsome than usual."

Tenten frowned at his beamingly bright smile, the scratch marks on his face that looked oddly like whiskers, and the brilliantly bright shiner circling his left eye.

"And your partner?" she asked crossing her arms. Naruto's gaze shifted behind her, and he looked a little more nervous. She refused to turn, and continued to pin Naruto with her stare. "Well?" she asked, pointedly.

"There they are!" a female voice boomed. Tsume rounded the corner with Kuromaru at her heels, her wild brown hair as untamed as her brash laughter.

"These boys sure know how to have a good time," she looped her arms around Naruto's neck and Kiba's pulling him into view. "Can you believe it?" she asked. "One of those lowlifes actually managed to land a punch on me!" she indicated her own impressive shiner. "Last thing the poor bastard ever did with his nuts intact. No need to do any more work in that district," Tsume continued. "No one will be venturing out there for a while! Most fun I've had in years – I'm going to go rag on Nara. C'mon, Naruto," she dragged him with her. "Let's go see if we can rile up the Old Guys." Her laughter echoed down the hall, drowning out Naruto's attempt at protest.

Tenten shifted from watching them leave, to looking up at Kiba. He had a nasty bruise on the side of his cheek, and at least one set of scratches down the side of his neck. She followed the scratch down to the collar of his t-shirt, and wondered what else his jeans, fitted t-shirt, and zip-up hoodie might be hiding.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked wearily.

He looked tired more than anything as he shrugged. Tired but triumphant. "No shiner," he said simply, leaning his hip against her desk like he always did. He wasn't going to tell her he had a seriously wicked looking black and blue wrapping across his back and arm where someone thought it would be cool to break a pool cue on him. Strangely, his assailant wasn't that enthused when Kiba broke the barstool over his back, knocking him out.

Tenten flicked her eyes to the pastry bag and the coffee.

"Penance?" she asked, rubbing Akamaru's back.

"Something like that," Kiba admitted as he scratched the ear that Akamaru rubbed against his leg. The dog seemed to need to have both of their attention and he turned and whined at Tenten.

"It's okay," Tenten wrapped her arms around the big dog's neck. "We're not fighting." She hugged the dog tight, and scratched his shoulders and back and ears before leaning back in her chair and burying her fingers in the ruff of his neck. "I trust the mother-son-whatever-the-hell-Naruto-is-in-this bonding time is over for a while?" she asked, glancing briefly up to Kiba before returning her attention to Akamaru.

"Are you kidding?" Kiba grunted. "I can only survive two nights of Tsume on a rampage. It's Hana's turn to watch her for the rest of the week."

Tenten gave an inadvertent burst of laughter which she quickly swallowed as she tried to school her features into something more serious. Kiba just smiled a very tired version of his normal shit-eatin-grin. "I didn't want you to worry when you saw us at the meeting," he said, looking at the offerings on her desk.

"Worry, or kick your asses?"

"Either. Neither. Whatever-" he yawned.

Tenten looked him over. "You are worn out," she finally said. "Can you get some rest tonight?"

"Can you?" Kiba asked pointedly. He narrowed his eyes as he took a better look at her. "You haven't been to bed yet, have you?"

She shook her head. "Hospital detail until after 6:00. Got my swim in, breakfast, and early morning meeting with Uchiha. No time to go home before now."

"Are you actually going to go home and rest," he arched an eyebrow, "or are you going to go house hopping and nosing around again?"

"Who said I was nosing around?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Why else would you have a report to give Uchiha," he asked sarcastically. "To tell him how many times Kakashi tried to stash his porno books?"

"Tasteful adult literature," she corrected in her best Kakashi impression. "So neither of us actually broke our promises because we were on assignment, is that what you are saying?"

Kiba nodded.

"At least I was careful," she mumbled looking at Akamaru. "Pick up anything good last night aside from some bruises?"

Kiba gave her a slow smile. "You mean like did I get any phone numbers?"

Tenten tsked "You always get phone numbers, but I know you would've had your hands too full with Tsume and Naruto to go asking for them. I meant information."

"Well, there was one thing," he turned to half sit on the edge of her desk while he stretched his legs in front of him before crossed his arms again. "Remember that curry shop you told me about? The one Lee likes?"

"I believe my exact words were 'never eat there ever, you will hate it,'" she said frankly. "What about it?"

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I went there once because nothing else was open, and the owner's son was working there."

"Karashi?"

"Maybe," Kiba shrugged. "Talked to me a bit – I was out of uniform and he saw my tattoos; I think he thought I was one of the local gang members," he grimaced.

"I can see that," Tenten said dryly.

"Point is," he said, "I think I saw him out at the bar last night. He was hanging with a bunch of guys that I didn't recognize as local gang members, but he was trying to look tough about it. The other members had these gloves things with retractable claws on their hands – straight out of a wannabe ninja anime."

Tenten's eyes widened. "Tekkō Kagi? Man, I haven't seen anything like that in ages. That would be a custom order kind of thing." She reached down into her bookbag and fished out a battered leather address book. "Only a couple of people would even make something like that. Guy might know, but I can make a few calls before the meeting. Did he talk to you?"

Kiba rubbed his jaw. "Not really. I think he wanted to, but when Tsume got the brawl started, he made himself scarce pretty quickly."

Tenten nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," he frowned. "One odd thing I heard them say."

Tenten looked up at him, expectantly.

"I heard those guys saying they had to get back to the boss; that he wanted to have another funeral this weekend to make up for the one he missed."

Tenten's eyes widened.

"You're sure about that" she asked. "He said he missed a funeral?"

"Yeah," Kiba looked at her. "Why?"

Tenten drummed her fingers on her desk as she scrambled her mouse to wake up her laptop (Picture of Akamaru on the desktop) and reached for her phone. "Nothing, I hope," she said quietly as she shot off a text. She composed a quick email and checked the clock. Five minutes to the meeting "I'm going to make a call," she said quickly. "Ask Uchiha if any of the gangs mentioned anything about a funeral." Her phone buzzed and she read the text quickly. "Don't make plans for lunch," she said held out a hand to stop him, not taking her eyes from her phone.

"Lunch?" he blinked at her.

"We're having an early lunch," she looked up quickly before grabbing her ancient address book to flick to a specific entry. "Curry, to be exact."

Kiba groaned as he went to go find Uchiha and make sure he had Tums or a fire extinguisher in his desk.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke sat with Shikamaru on one side and Shikaku on the other. Ibiki and Inoichi were farther down the table, and Guy was supposed to arrive soon. Sasuke's face was a perfect mask of composure, but inside, he was excited. They finally had some solid information, and Jiraiya's file had filled in the gaps that seemed to exist in what intelligence they had gathered so far. His instincts told him that something as about to break wide open. Kiba had asked him a strange question – or at least it would have been a strange question if he hadn't read Mr. Gamariki's report.

"Why do you ask about funerals?" he asked, turning in his chair.

Kiba rubbed the back of his neck. "Something I heard last night. Tenten asked me to ask you. She's calling someone right now about the weaponry that I saw on some of the thugs last night."

Tenten rushed in the room, and went right over to Sasuke, thrusting a piece of paper in front of him. "I know who they are," she said urgently. "I know who they are, and I know how to get inside. I am meeting an insider at 11:30."

Sasuke stood quickly and guided her just outside of the room with Kiba and Shikamaru in his wake. Tenten didn't bat an eye at the hand at her elbow.

"Explain quickly," he said, flicking his eyes across the page. "This matches information I just got this morning."

"Kiba figured it out" she said, ignoring his 'I did?' expression. "It's an offshoot gang; I heard about them a while ago, but never heard a name to go with the description. They are small and more like a cult. The leader gets off on these funerals he stages when he isn't busy extorting small businesses and families on his end of town. Drugs, too – he picks up a bunch of the really desperate, so they aren't too much in my old neighborhood. They are called the Kurosuki Family. Turns out a guy Lee and I know is mixed up with them."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You sure about that?"

Tenten nodded. "I spoke with his mom – she has been worried about him lately. She said that he has taken a side job with this "family," and she hadn't met any of them. He was on his way to a funeral when I saw him the day after Kakashi was shot. I just sent Lee a text; turns out he came back over to his mom's when Lee was there, and said the funeral had been rescheduled."

They all stared at her.

"Rescheduled," she repeated emphatically. "You don't reschedule funerals! Not unless the person didn't die in the first place. I bet they went after Kakashi."

Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck. "It's a stretch, Tenten," he said finally. How do you know he's mixed in with that gang specifically?" Shikamaru asked. "Could be any gang. Or no gang."

"Their weaponry," she said with a finality. "Kiba saw the weapons on the guys at the bar. I found the custom weapons dealer that made their gauntlets," she said. "He's the only guy I could think of that would take that strange of an order. Old guy, shady on principles as long as the cash is there. No paper trails that we'll ever see, but a memory like you wouldn't believe. He told me all he knew about them."

"And he told you this because?" Sasuke arched his eyebrows.

"Easy," she shrugged. "I'm his best customer. Come to Lee's dojo sometime and I'll prove it. Anyway," she glanced at the clock. It was 9:31 and Shikaku had started the meeting inside. "I have to get ready to go to the restaurant. I told him I'd be there by 11:00 so I'd be there when he eats lunch at 11:30. I need to pick up some things before I head over there."

"You can't go alone," Kiba shot in.

"I'm not," Tenten said. "You're going with me. So is Lee – I'm going to meet him. You go ahead of me and sit away from us; he already approached you once; he might try to impress you after seeing you in action last night."

"Why is he going to talk to you," Shikamaru asked.

Tenten flushed a bit. "Because he's had a crush on me for the last five years, and has been trying to talk to me about anything for the last two," she replied. She looked between the three men. Nara looked mildly curious, Uchiha looked unconvinced, and Kiba looked resigned. "Listen, I know it sounds crazy, Uchiha, but I know this will work. You've got to trust me."

"You can't go like that," Sasuke looked over her uniform. "If he's seen talking to a cop, it might put him in a bad position."

"Why do you think I'm not meeting him until 11:00," she replied. "I have to go home first and change." She looked over to Kiba. "You can put Akamaru and Pakkun over at my place and then head over ahead of Lee and I. He might talk to you before I get there."

Sasuke looked between the two of them. "You going to wear a wire?" he asked.

Tenten groaned. "I hate those things, Uchiha. It's lunch, not a sting."

Sasuke didn't flinch.

"Lee will be there; so will Kiba. The place is tiny. Microscopic, even. Anything he says will be overheard by the other two."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Inadmissible evidence."

"What about Lee and Kiba?" she asked, fisting her hands on her hips.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "I can put something on them, too, I guess."

"Okay, fine," she grumbled. "Only people that don't have to shove things down into their bra think those things are no big deal."

Kiba snorted, Shikamaru smirked, and Sasuke might have colored at her comment.

Shikamaru glanced at the clock. "I'll come over to your place by 10:15 with some equipment."

"Fine," she sighed and threw up her hands. "Happy?" she arched an eyebrow at Uchiha. He gave a brief nod.

"Just what I need," she muttered to herself. "Nara under my shirt, and Uchiha up my ass. There is a word for all of this, but I'm not allowed to say it. C'mon Inuzuka," she sighed. "Drop me and the dogs off so I can get home in time to not have to answer the door naked when Nara gets there."

They stared after her as she stalked toward her desk. "For someone who has so much she can't say," Shikamaru drawled, "she still finds an awful lot to say."

* * *

Kiba called Hana on the way to Tenten's, asking if she could take Akamaru and Pakkun just until the afternoon. She agreed, as long as they were picked up before 3:00 when the kennel would fill again. With a warning of "Don't let Nara get fresh," Kiba dropped Tenten off and sat in the K-9 unit, making sure she actually got into her building before driving off. While at Hana's he switched out his police vehicle for his supped up, black SUV, his hoodie for his leather jacket, his tennis shoes for his biker boots, and was, as his sister put it approvingly "Instantly thugified."

He walked into the small restaurant by 10:20 and took his sunglasses off slowly, looking around as if he was casing the joint. Kiba grew up with Tsume; he knew how to come off as a bad ass. It came more naturally to him than he would readily admit, which is why he rarely came home without numbers shoved in his pockets, solicited or otherwise. It was amazing how many women couldn't resist a jerk.

He took a seat at a booth, and stretched his long legs out casually, eyeing the menu like he didn't care if he ever ate or not, or if he was there or not. The aloof detachment seemed to be a siren call to some people. Apparently one of those people was the waitress that scurried over, ready to take his order. Kiba suppressed a grumble at the thought of actually having to eat this kind of food. He raked a slow look over the waitress. "What's good here?" he put a bit more emphasis on 'good,' than he needed to, and she seemed to titter behind her hand.

"Depends on what you like," she replied before blushing and looking down at his menu. She reached over to point out a few dishes as she tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand. Kiba would have rolled his eyes if it wouldn't have blown his cover. She was exposing her neck, leaning forward to give him a better view down her shirt, and trying to call attention to her longish hair. It was clear that she was offering something more than curry, and he was damned glad that Tenten wasn't here to make him laugh.

"I'll have to look over the menu a little longer," he drawled. "Can you check back with me soon?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered before scurrying back to the kitchen. Kiba knew his work was done; that girl would tell him anything he wanted to know, and she would probably tell whoever was in back that someone like him was out front. He checked the time on his phone. 10:35.

He sent Tenten a text. "WTF. What can I order that won't get stomach pumped."

"Either aigake (make sure is mild hayashi sauce) or any karē raisu. Beef and mild are your key words. Do not under ANY circumstances have the Curry of Life."

He replied "4 som1 that dosnt eat here u know menu prty well"

"And for someone who is probably too busy flirting with the waitress to look up reviews online or to type out your texts, you should be glad about it. I go with Lee because I am a good friend. If your waitress is Ami, she'll be putty. Loves the bad boys. She rarely talks to me or Lee, so good contact. See you soon."

"k"

"Really? One letter?"

Kiba smirked. "K thx bye."

"Smart ass."

Kiba looked up as the waitress returned.

"Do you know what you want?" She asked, flicking her eyes to him before lowering them to her notepad coyly.

"Yes," he made a show of leaning forward to read her name tag, "Ami. I know _exactly_ what I want."

He practically watched her melt. Like Tenten said. Puddy.

It was then that he saw a familiar face look out from the kitchen window. He didn't acknowledge the guy he had seen the night before; but he knew he was recognized. Ami took his menu, making sure to brush her fingers against his, and sauntered back to the kitchen.

Moments later, a guy around Kiba's age – maybe a little younger than his 24 – came out from the kitchen. "Pretty boy," were the first words that came to mind. His ponytailed hair was a honey color and he had blue eyes. There was something almost feminine in his features, they were so gently set. This was the kind of kid that wanted so badly to be tough, and never would be. He had 'Mama's boy' written all over him. Kiba smirked – who was he to judge? It could be argued that he was also a mama's boy; what that meant just depended on the mother.

The man-boy gave a jerk of his head toward the kitchen. "Is she bothering you?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Ami can be a little forward."

Kiba put his phone face down on the table, reached for his beer (because badasses drink beer at 10somethingalmost11 in the morning) and swirled it absently. "A _little_ forward?" he asked with his best 'knowing look between men' face. "We both know that she's a LOT forward, and that isn't what you came out here to ask me." He eyed him over the rim of his glass. "So speak up…" he looked pointedly at the man's chest where a name tag should be.

"Karashi," he offered.

"Karashi," Kiba repeated. He decided to throw the kid a bone. "Didn't I see you before that fight broke out last night?" he asked quietly. The way the man tried not to preen meant that Kiba had played the right card. Dogs and people were similar; you just had to figure out what they wanted, and they would do whatever you asked.

"Yeah," he smirked, trying on the mantle of shared badassery. "I was there. Looks like you had a time of it," he noted Kiba's bruised cheek and scratched neck. It was so cliché, he had to say it.

"You should see the other guy," Kiba chugged the rest of his beer and prayed that the curry Tenten recommended didn't chase it back up. "He'll be the one picking a barstool out from between his asscheeks." Karashi tried not to look impressed; to maintain his cool. He failed miserably. "Looks like you got away without a scratch," Kiba looked him over assessingly. "You and your boys must be pretty good. Sucks I was there alone."

"We can handle ourselves," he crossed his arms smugly. Kiba instantly knew that this guy hadn't stuck around for the fight. If he had, he would've seen Naruto and he tag-teaming some of the bigger thugs, and he sure as hell would've recognized Tsume and their clan tattoos. He estimated that Karashi had ducked out of that bar and somewhere safe within the first two minutes of the scuffle, with or without his "boys."

"Clearly," he said, leaning back in his booth. "Why don't you get that pretty little piece of ass to refill this beer and tell me all about it?"

Karashi signaled Ami over, and Kiba knew he had the guy hooked. He was also hugely relieved that Tenten wasn't there to see him in his full blown jerk mode, as while it was effective, she razzed him about it for weeks after.

* * *

Tenten felt something prickle across the back of her neck. Shikamaru stopped and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I have a feeling my partner is somewhere being a gigantic jerk right now," she frowned, looking off to the side. "He must've linked up with Karashi." She turned back to Shikamaru. "You can get back to playing with my boobs, now," she shrugged.

Shikamaru held her bra in his hands, and fiddled with the microphone. "You tell Inuzuka about us?" he asked dryly.

"Are you kidding?" she arched back in her chair with a contented sigh as her back popped. "You know what he'd say if he knew how many times you'd been over here for this?"

"I have a pretty good idea," he mumbled, lowering his face closer to her bra, his tongue between his teeth. She let out a sigh. "I don't think it will fit," he said finally.

"It isn't _that_ big," she reached out a hand toward him. "You can do it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He grimaced as he pushed forward, absently swatting her hand away as he concentrated.

"You're kinda sexy when you do this," she said, her tone breathless.

"For the love of-" He put her bra down on the table and stared at her in frustration. "Will you just let me do this?" Tenten stood from her chair opposite him and laughed.

For whatever reason, Shikamaru had mad sewing skills, and on more than one occasion had helped her doctor garments to better conceal weaponry. He was in the middle of trying to secure a place for her knife so that it could rest snugly in her bra, as well as to make the microphone record properly. She was right; this wasn't a sting, so the device just had to record, not transmit. Luckily, or unluckily, this was also his area of expertise.

"C'mon Nara, how many guys do you think I let handle my underwear," she called over her shoulder as she went back in her room to keep getting ready. "Other than the Shadow Stitcher."

Shikamaru eyed the bra in his hands and swallowed a retort. He knew a fair few people that would love to get their hands on this garment, particularly with her in it – at least if they realized better what she had to put in these garments.

"Why no sports bra?" he asked. "So much easier to work with. More fabric. Since when do you even own something like this?"

"Since a friend made me buy one," she called back.

"What kind of friend makes you buy underwear?" he asked confused. "You go shopping with Ino?"

"Oh, _gawd_ no," she groaned from the other room. "She has wanted to drag me shopping for years. The day that happens, don't even bother looking for my suicide note; just have a cab ready to take me from the mall to the morgue."

"Wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't got fat," he said seriously as he stitched the microphone down.

Any other girl would have been offended, but Tenten laughed.

"He's lucky he said that to me and not any other girl on the planet," she remarked as she pulled her jeans and knee-high boots on.

Shikamaru had to agree. Tenten had been a competitive swimmer with a grueling daily training regime. Consequently, she was a very late bloomer. It wasn't until they were students at the academy and her rigorous training regime had stopped enough that she blew through puberty and went from a respectable A to a healthy D in record time.* Concerned, one day Naruto asked Tenten if she was upset because she had been gaining weight.

She had blinked twice before assuring him she was fine. When he pressed the subject, she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "They're called boobs, Naruto."

Naruto had visibly blanched at this, and stammered an apology before disappearing as fast as his legs could carry him. She confided this story to Shikamaru who she had enlisted to help her fix some tops to better minimize and stabilize her new additions. She typically wore sports bras or was hidden by her bullet proof vest, so most people didn't know what she had hidden under there.

Tenten came out with a robe over the top of her, and grimaced at the bra like it might bite her back. "Is it ready?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, I think so." He handed it over to her, and she eyed it distrustfully. "What's the matter," he sighed again.

"Don't sigh at me, Nara," she grimaced at him. "This was your idea. I don't see why I can't just use my phone to record like Kiba or Lee will do, or use some other piece of equipment."

Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched. "The place is too small. Three devices like that will cause interference. Kiba will be far enough from Lee to make it not a problem. Lee's resting heartrate is something like a million beats per minute, and he throws this kind of equipment off. You are the only one that can have this type of mic, and I this is what I can do in the amount of time I have.

She continued to stare at the bra. He arched an eyebrow at her and she sighed heavily.

"I… I suck at getting these things hooked right," she admitted. "If I get it on, will you-"

"You mean to tell me you regularly handle the most estoteric of ancient weaponry as well as high powered guns, and you can't handle a bra clasp?" he asked.

"Well, put a bra clasp on a fire arm or a kunai, and we'll see how I do, but for now, yes, that is exactly what I am telling you."

"Tenten," he groaned.

"Think of it as practice if you ever decide to make a move on Ino," she said, heading back to her room. A second later, she came back with her robe on backwards so that he could get to the bra. "C'mon genius," she said. "I don't like it any more than you do, and I don't have all day."

Shikamaru hooked the back of the garment perfunctorily.

She turned back around and eyed him. "Pretty fast fingers," she arched an eyebrow.

"Go put a shirt on," he muttered. "I'm only human."

Tenten laughed. "Yeah. You're only human and have only liked one girl since high school. I think I'm safe."

Shikamaru took in her retreating form appreciatively. She was right, of course, but he really was only human. You'd have to be pretty thick not to appreciate the kind of girl Tenten was, and he didn't have the excuse of not knowing what she kept hidden behind her sarcasm or beneath her uniform. He might have only ever liked one girl since high school, but he liked _her_ plenty well enough that if she ever became interested he'd be hard pressed not to do something about it. What was really keeping them safe was the fact that he knew damned well where they stood, and above all things, he was a gentleman. He also had a very healthy sense of self-preservation, and knew for a fact that crossing that line meant a whole slew of issues that were not to be taken lightly.

"Ino's right," he muttered to himself as he looked away from the lithe, strong back that walked away from him. "I really am a lazy ass."

* * *

By the time that Lee arrived at the restaurant, Kiba had a pretty good sense for Karashi. His initial assessment of Pretty boy/Mama's boy was justified. This guy definitely wanted recognition from someone or somewhere that he was something more than a cook. Kiba had put off tasting his food as long as he could, and was surprised to find it more than edible. It wasn't his thing, really, but as far as curry went, he presumed it was good.

"Don't like it?" Karashi asked, watching him eat.

Kiba shook his head. "It's fine. I actually came in to scope out something other than the food," he said, leaning back and looking at Karashi pointedly. The man glanced at Ami and Kiba shook his head. "My boss has had his eye on you," he said quietly. "Thinks you might be good for our organization. But he doesn't like to bring guys on board when they already have an affiliation. It can get… messy," Kiba spread his hands eloquently. He was pleased that the guy fell for it.

"I'm not really that far into the Kurosuki family," he said quickly. "I'm sure I can get out."

Kiba did well to keep his face straight. "I'm sure you can," he affirmed. "I think you should lay low for now," he said easily. "I have a few questions I think you can find answers to, that is," he shrugged and sipped at his beer, "if you're up to it."

"I'll do it," he whispered. The bell over the door signaled the arrival of a customer – Lee to be exact. Lee had been warned that Kiba would be there, and he paid the other man no mind. He went directly to his favorite booth with a friendly wave to Karashi.

Kiba jerked his head toward him. "Who's the guy in the green?" Karashi took in the puffy green coat over the regular jeans and was instantly grateful that Lee hadn't come in his training gear.

"Regular customer," he said quickly. "I'll be right back."

Kiba watched him go, and sent Tenten a text.

"Real winner, this guy."

He looked at the time; 10:55. Would she pull the "I'm a girl I run late" angle with Karashi, or would she be her normal punctual self?

Lee and Karashi chatted amicably, and Kiba could hear snippets of their conversation.

"… I'll have my usual, but I think I'll wait until my lunch partner gets here."

Karashi stood a little straighter. "Who's joining you today?" He tried to sound nonchalant. "Guy?"

Lee smiled brightly and shook his shiny-bowl-cut head. "Not today. No, today I am lucky enough to have-" the bell over the door rang cheerfully. "Ah! I was just speaking of you!" Lee beamed before his eyes went wide, and Karashi's jaw dropped. "M-My, you are looking youthful today, Tenten!" Lee recovered and gave his signature thumbs up.

Kiba frowned to himself, His back was to the door, and he couldn't see Tenten. She slid in across from Lee, facing the same way he was. He could only see her profile. What were they so worked up about? She was in her skinny jeans and well-worn boots with the slight heel that he knew contained at least one knife. Her pea-coat was more fitted than her giant department coat, but it still wasn't something to drop jaws over. He frowned some more. Was it her hair? She had a hat clapped down on her head, and he couldn't really see her that well. She had moved to the corner of the booth, and he could only occasionally see her hands as she spoke, her long legs crossed at the ankles. Kiba got suspicious.

"I get lover boy, but why is Lee staring at you?" he sent the text.

He heard her phone vibrate, and she flipped it face down on the table. "Sorry, Lee," she apologized with a smile – at least he heard a smile in her voice, so he assumed she smiled. "I'll put my phone away. "How are you both today?" she asked.

Kiba looked back down at his phone, adopting his aloof indifference as Ami checked on him. "Everything ok?" she purred.

Kiba didn't even look up from his phone as he nodded. "You know it, doll."

She giggled and reached for his glass, and when he did look up, he guessed she had spent her time away from the table jacking her boobs up, because they sure as hell hadn't been that much on display earlier. He cringed. Lipgloss. Sticky-ass-sparkly shit. Why did girls bother with that stuff? Luckily, she didn't notice because she looked over to where Lee and Tenten were sitting. Her eyes bugged out for a second before she shook her head.

"Better not look over there," she whispered as she leaned toward his ear. "That girl with Lee is in need of some serious help."

"I'll bet," Kiba said. "Think I can borrow your phone a sec? Mine's almost dead, and I need to check something online quickly."

"Sure," she said, unlocked her phone, winked, and went back to the kitchen. He felt his phone buzz, and he saw Tenten had her phone in her lap, under the table out of sight while the two men talked. He finished up with Ami's phone before checking his own.

"Must be the porkchop around my neck. Find out if Ami knows any of these other gang guys. She'll probably write her number on your to-go box."

As if by magic, Ami returned and handed him his to-go box, her phone number scrawled across the lid.

He smiled at her as he pocketed his phone.

"You do that for all of the guys like me that come in here?" he asked, reaching for his wallet. She giggled.

"Hasn't been anyone like you around here," she said flirtatiously.

"Is that so? Well," he slowly counted out his money onto the small black tray with the bill. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble."

"You haven't been any trouble," she said reaching for the outstretched bill, lowering her lashes and making sure her hand overlapped his.

"Not yet," he said quietly. He held her gaze for a moment longer before pulling his hand back easily.

"Call me," she whispered. "We'll see, then."

She disappeared with the bill.

Karashi excused himself from Tenten and Lee and stopped Ami. She seemed to pout about something, but went back to the kitchen. He returned with the bill to Kiba. "Sorry about that," he returned his money. "She didn't know I was going to comp your meal. Are you heading out?" he asked quietly.

Kiba shrugged. "I might have one more beer," he said idly. He glanced over to Lee and Tenten's table. "Friends of yours?"

"Regulars," Karashi said, a bit too quickly. "No one to worry about."

So. The little rat wasn't going to point out the cops. That was a good thing, Kiba guessed.

Kiba leaned forward to get a better look at them, and they both ignored him; Karashi was oblivious to any compensation on Lee or Tenten's parts.

"I left something in my car," Tenten told Lee sweetly. I'll be right back." She stood, and wrapped her coat closed, but gave a sweet smile to Karashi. "See you in a sec," she said, and headed out of the door.

Kiba raked an appreciative eye over her retreating form, for Karashi's benefit. He still hadn't gotten a good look at her face, but her hair was down; he saw it caught in the collar of her coat. He guessed he found the porkchop.

"Looks like more than a friend," he said idly to Karashi.

Karashi looked to the door, and then to Lee with a particular look on his face. Kiba knew that look. That was the look of someone weighing a risk. "She is," he said finally. "Been after me for years. Comes in with that friend of hers pretty often."

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "What does she do for a living?"

Karashi was visibly startled. Kiba kept his expression neutral. At least he wasn't stupid enough to tell a potential gang member that his friends were cops. "They both teach," he said quickly.

That was true enough, in a sense.

"Where?" Kiba asked.

"They have some classes at one of the rec centers," he waved his hand dismissively. "Can I get you anything else?"

Kiba added "coward," "Liar," and "stupid but moderately loyal," to his assessment of Karashi.

"I think I'll head out," he said, standing slowly. He was taller than Karashi – then again, he was taller than most of the guys he worked with, except for Uchiha. "See you around, Karashi. I'll be in touch."

With that, he did his best bad-ass strut out of the door, and to his car. He heard Lee distract both Karashi and Ami as he left, and he scanned the parking lot for Tenten as he made his way to his vehicle. She was walking toward him, hands jammed in pockets, head buried in the collar of her coat to avoid the wind that was picking up. They could possibly be seen from the restaurant, so Kiba kept his act going. "Going somewhere, beautiful?" he asked in a low voice.

She glanced up at him. "Sorry," she said with a small smile. "I have to pretend to reject or be mildly offended by you now so I can get back into Lee and see what's up with Karashi. Text Ami," she advised. "Use one of the throw-away numbers Nara patches into our phones. She looks like she has more to say to you."

Kiba nodded, still studying her.

"Where will you be when we are done here?" she asked.

"I'll come find you," he said quietly. "This kid is mixed up in some heavy shit, Tenten. Be careful."

With that, he headed to his car, and watched her go back inside.

He shot off a text to Ami: "Thx for lunch. Cld use a drink later."

Seconds later she sent a text back.

'yur on. 2nite. Be careful; those plpe Karashi knows are cops."

Kiba felt his throat constrict. Tenten and Lee could be compromised if that knowledge got around.

"I culd tell. Keep it 2 yurself; don't need them in my shit. Don't warn anyone else, ok? Think of it as a favor."

Kiba sent the text and silently prayed the girl hadn't warned anyone else about Tenten and Lee; that could seriously complicate their lives.

"I can keep a secret. Cum find out. Snake frog and slug tavern. 9:00 til ? will talk about favors then."

Kiba grimaced. This was shaping up to be complicated. He pulled out of the drive way and made his way to Hana's. His phone buzzed intermittently during the whole drive.

"Just my luck," he muttered. "A contact that is going to blow up my phone."

He pulled into Hana's and went in to get the dogs.

"That was fast," she said as he came in.

Kiba waved to the vet technicians as he followed Hana to her office and closed the door. "Can I leave the SUV here again?" he asked. "I'll have Naruto help me switch out the cars later tonight."

"Sure," Hana said, nodding to the wall. "I have the spare key." She looked him up and down. "How did your thug mission go?"

His phone went off again and he rolled his eyes.

She laughed. "Must've gone pretty well if you already have girls blowing up our phone."

Kiba sighed as he took out his phone to page through his messages.

Hana looked up sharply at his swift intake of breath. "What is it?" she asked, circling the desk. Kiba stared blankly at the phone as the picture Ami sent came up. The first was an obviously staged selfie in the bathroom mirror with a "kant wait 2hear from u" tag line. That isn't what made his blood run cold.

Hana pushed his arm down so she could better see the screen. Ami had sent a couple of slightly blurry purposely unflattering pictures of Tenten. They weren't very clear, but they also weren't as unflattering as the girl wished they were.

"luk what ur boy Krsh is chasing. Gurl don teven wer makup"

Hana frowned. So she sent some pictures of Tenten? What was the big deal? Hana narrowed her eyes as she scrolled through the pictures.

She paused. This was a group text. Other people had responded.

"Keep an I on things 4me Ami. Need 2know what boy is up to-Z"

"I'd cut her. Who is she-W"

"just sum regular. No1 2worry about. Boy is fine. Cu l8r 2nite."

"8 SFS tvrn. cu thn.-W"

Hana's blood ran cold. Clearly the pictures had been sent to multiple people; she obviously didn't realize she made it a group text.

He looked at Hana.

"Who are these people?" she asked, "And why do they have pictures of Tenten?"

Kiba grimaced. "I'm going to go find out."

* * *

Tenten glanced down at her phone. 11:45 am. Another text from Kiba.

"Put app on Karashi's phone and wrap it up. Shit just got ugly."

Lee's phone buzzed, and he shot a look at Tenten. Kiba must've sent them the same text.

Karashi didn't notice.

He also didn't notice her swap their phones; they were identical. She excused herself to the ladies room while Lee talked to him. Quickly, she locked the stall, glad she was the only one in the restroom, and downloaded an app onto Karashi's phone. She heard the door open as she was finishing up, so as soon as she was done, she tucked the phone in the pocket of the cardigan, flushed the toilet for cover, and went to wash her hands in the sink.

Ami was taking selfies in the mirror, having scooped her boobs up until they almost spilled out of her bra and top. Tenten gave no inclination that she noticed.

"Food's good today," she said as she scrubbed her hands. Ami gave a little start at seeing her.

"Th-thanks." She said, adjusting her top to a more modest level. "Karashi's been fiddling with the menu."

"He does a good job," Tenten shrugged, reaching for the paper towels. "Must keep you guys busy."

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised we stay open half of the time. If it wasn't for-" she seemed to stumble and then correct herself "- for our late-night menu, we'd probably go out of business."

"That'd be a shame," Tenten said, throwing away her paper towel. "You guys have to work those late shifts alone? Can get pretty rough in this area after dark."

"We're protected," Ami said airily. "No one messes with us."

"That's good to hear," Tenten smiled. "You know you can always call me or Lee if you are worried, right?"

Ami looked a bit surprised. Tenten shrugged and answered the unasked question of "Why?"

"I grew up in Karashi's neighborhood. We look after our own." She watched the girl carefully, wondering why she looked… what? Guilty? Surprised? Confused? "I'd better get out there," she nodded to the door. "Be seeing you, Ami!"

She went back to the table and quietly switched back the phones without Karashi noticing anything.

"So like I was saying," he said between bites of his food. "The restaurant has been doing really well. We'll be at the carnival this year," he assured Tenten.

Tenten smiled and nodded, but wondered how "really well" jived with the description of almost closing she just got from Ami.

"That'll be great," she said warmly. "Lee and I will be working the festival," she nodded to her friend who nodded back enthusiastically.

"Yes! It will be most excellent to give back to the local area youth programs!"

Karashi's smile at Lee was genuine, and Tenten found her heart twisting for the man. He wasn't a bad person, but he was a weak person. How deep had he gotten himself into trouble this time?

"I have some things we can look at," Tenten offered, grabbing a file out of her bag. "Why don't you come sit by me?" she asked Karashi. The man blushed a bit, but slid into the opposite side of the booth, and closer to Tenten. He slid in close, and was trying hard not to stare openly at the view she presented either above or below her collarbones, and he was not doing well.

Fifteen minutes later, he didn't even notice the bell signaling a customer arrived.

He looked up to find the stranger from earlier, staring down at them. The one with the red tattoos on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt," the man said, clearly not in the least bit sorry, "but something's come up. You got time to take a ride with me?" he nodded at Karashi.

"I, uh.. yeah. Yeah I can do that," He tried not to stammer. "I have some –"

"Gotta be now," he shook his head. "Get that little girl to watch your restaurant for you. Isn't this guy a friend of yours?" He motioned to Lee. "Maybe he can keep an eye on things."

Lee started to respond when Ami came rushing out from the back.

"Did you forget something?" she asked, breathlessly. He smirked down at her, raking his eyes over her form.

"Yeah, but I'll pick it up later tonight at the Tavern." He said suggestively. He looked to Karashi. "Let's go."

Karashi jumped up. "I'll just close the restaurant for now," he said. "Ami – go in the back; turn everything off. We aren't usually busy this time of day anyway."

She slid a lascivious look over the tattooed man before going back to the Kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Karashi said, turning to Tenten and Lee. "Another time. And soon," he said, staring at Tenten. She nodded, her cardigan crisscrossed across her chest under her folded arms. "Can… Can I call you later? Tonight?" he finally asked her.

"Sure," she smiled gently. "You can call anytime."

"And me, as well!" Lee interjected, probably misreading the moment in his ever-present enthusiasm.

"I'll show these good folks to the door," the stranger said casually "You go get yourself together."

Karashi all but saluted as he scurried back to the kitchen, leaving the tattooed man to raise his eyebrows at the two restaurant patrons and extend a welcoming arm toward the exit.

Tenten shoved her files back in her bag, wrapped her scarf around her neck quickly, piled her hair into her hat, and buttoned her coat in about 10 seconds. Lee just looked up at Kiba and whispered "So cool!"

Tenten, though, caught his eye as he ushered them to the door. She paused briefly in the door and looked up at him with a questioning look, somewhere between annoyance and concern. He in turn looked down and very quietly said "Trust me."

She held his gaze for a moment, and he let the façade drop. Ami and Karashi were nowhere to witness their exchange, and the security camera couldn't see their faces. He flicked his gaze to her covered chest. "Give your seamstress a call," he said evenly.

At her look of confusion, realization, embarrassment, incredulity, and concern, he looked away and instead spoke to Lee. "Stay together." With that, he strode back in the restaurant, to leave them silent in the snow.

"Did you walk?" she asked Lee after a long three seconds.

"I did," he nodded. "The brisk cold air is good for the lungs." He looked up and reached into his pocket. "Shikamaru says to go back to the Dojo and call him when we get there

"I'll drive." Tenten said. As she pulled away from the restaurant and headed for Guy's dojo, she silently wondered about the shitstorm that was about to hit. She had a sinking feeling, it was going to be big.

"Don't worry, Tenten," Lee said as they pulled up to the Dojo and headed up to their apartments above it. "We can handle whatever is going on." He gave her a brilliant smile and a thumbs up. "Now," he said, unbuckling his seat belt. "Come over to my apartment; we didn't get to finish our lunches, but I have some of Sanshō's special curry!"

Tenten suppressed a groan. Maybe Kiba wasn't the one in the dangerous position afterall.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6: Up the Ante

_A/N: I don't own Kishimoto's characters. Also, I want an Akamaru._

* * *

**Up the Ante**

_Up the ante: 1: to raise the cost or risk of an activity. 2: to increase the initial amount of money bet._

Shikamaru had finished getting Tenten put together before heading back to the station. His office was known as "Command Central," for the extensive bank of monitors that spanned his and Chōji's work areas. He was officially in the Investigations division, but he liaised with the Intelligence division under Captain Nara. His screensaver of floating clouds turned the wall of monitors into a would-be window that he could be found gazing at on long days. Or short days. Most days, really.

Today, though, he had work to do. He opened up his laptop, put on his headset, and attached his phone to the computer.

Nara was online and ready.

The mic he put on Tenten was still on. It didn't 'transmit,' per se. Unlike the ones they used for surveillance that could be monitored live from a remote location, this was essentially a record-only Bluetooth device. As long as it was on, it would record anything within its range, and periodically save the data to a cloud drive via Bluetooth and Tenten's phone. Every ten minutes or so, it would synch with her phone and update the file, similar to that fitness tracker she liked to wear. The simple device had been on while Shikamaru had been sewing it into Tenten's bra. Having listened to that conversation, he carefully spliced it out and freed up the extra memory for the device. (He didn't need anyone hearing that conversation, which sounded far more sexual when it was audio only). The next time her mic synched with the phone, the mic would also remove the conversation. He filed it under a 'test' mp3 and moved on. Lee's phone was working on a similar premise but sending streaming audio- same with Kiba's. It was like an audio DVR. From what he could hear, both Lee and Tenten were on their way to the restaurant.

Shikamaru listened to Kiba's audio with a slight delay; sounded like that girl Ami was melting. He had to give Kiba credit; the guy really was the ultimate at the bad boy routine. His uncanny knack for reading body language and understanding of basic animal instincts made him a great undercover agent, especially with certain women.

Shikamaru sat back in his seat, idly reflecting on that thought. Kiba was probably paired with the one woman who would call bullshit on those kinds of tactics, and he was not afraid of her. They made a good team. She had been paired with Sai on some missions; they also worked very well together. Kakashi really had built a good department; his agents all complimented one another. Even Naruto and Kiba could be a good pairing, as long as you needed a brawl started.

The message from Kiba popped up on his screen.

"10:58 AM: App installed. Waitress. Ami. Suspect interaction with various gang members."

Shikamaru shifted to another screen. The app Kiba had installed allowed him to access the phone, even if it was turned off. As long as there was charge to the phone, he could access the phone, the aps, the data, listen in; any number of things. He immediately downloaded the girl's contacts and began cross referencing them with Mr. Gamariki's information. Her photos were also getting catalogued and GPS referenced; If she had taken a photo of a gang member, they could place the where and when.

He minimized the windows and let the program run in peace.

Around 11:15, Kiba called him.

"Nara," he answered, bored.

"We have a problem," Kiba said, clearly on the move.

"What kind of problem,' Shikamaru asked, his attention suddenly sharp and undivided.

"Get sorting through that Ami girl's stuff. She warned me that Lee and Tenten are cops. We need to make sure she didn't warn anyone else. She meant to send me a pic of Tenten, but she sent it out to several people. Replies are more than a little disturbing. There is going to be a meeting of some sorts at the Snake, Frog, and Slug Tavern tonight. See what you can find out."

"Where are you?"

"Outside Hana's clinic. I'm coming back to the station."

Shikamaru reopened the programs and began scouring the gallery of photos and sent messages. She had sent Kiba the most unflattering of the pictures she had taken of Tenten. The other photos she had snapped off showed her laughing, and definitely more than one showed the tasteful but obvious line of cleavage that was missing from the ones she chose to send Kiba.

He read through the replies and frowned.

"I'd cut her…" he whispered, reading the text.

"Fucked up," Kiba said bluntly.

Shikamaru's fingers flew across the keys, and the mouse darted between windows as he started cross-referencing the contacts. His eyes grew wide. Some of these men matched up with some of the known members of the Kurosuki family. He began pushing the photos through the facial recognition software.

"Kiba… I don't think she was talking to the Kurosuki guys," he said, his tone level but serious. "Our information puts the whole family down as dangerous but not well-organized or trained." He looked between the series of names that were popping up. "I think things just got much heavier."

"Are Lee and Tenten in danger?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru hunted through Ami's phone and her apps, trying to connect to these other phones. "Not at the moment," he said slowly. "Let me see what I can dig up."

"I'll see you in five. Inuzuka out."

Shikamaru sat back and stared at the streaming data, his incredible mind cataloguing every detail. He idly rolled a cigarette between his fingers as he thought, which, from an idiosyncratic standpoint was an improvement from playing with the lighter while it was still in his pocket.

"Ah, here you are," his father's voice came over his shoulder. He walked in with Sai behind him. "I wanted Sai to check in with you. He has worked with Mr. Gamariki before and…. What is it?" he asked when he noticed the particular look on his son's face.

Shikamaru showed him the string of texts and the data beginning to generate on the screen. "I think we hit an unintended connection in all of this," he said.

Sai looked over his shoulder and saw disturbing texts. His face remained its normal impassive mask, but the line of his jaw tightened. He looked over to Shikaku who nodded. He flipped open Mr. Gamariki's file, and pointed to a set of instructions.

"Make the call," he instructed. "Sai, go get Ibiki. I'll get Uchiha." He looked back to his son. "We will be back shortly." With that, he left the room and his son looking as if he had eaten something terrible and wasn't allowed to spit it out.

"Guess now is as good a time as any to try," he sighed, pulling out Mr. Gamariki's file and dragging his finger down the page until he found the number he was looking for.

The number rang only twice in his headset. "State your business."

"Mr. Gamariki sent me." He said, following the prompts given to him in the file. "Konoha 9-22."

"Suna 8-23. Verify."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as he shuffled the papers. "Sharpen your sickle at sunset," he read off of the paper, feeling more than a little stupid.

"Verified. Line secured. Nara Shikamaru – what is your business."

"Need to cross-reference photos and try to ID some gang members."

The voice on the other end of the line gave a derisive sigh. "Is that all?"

"No," Shikamaru was clicking through the data as it filtered in. "Can we do a reverse install on these numbers? I have two people with gang contacts; if we can infect via the phones,-"

"We might be able to cast a wider net and access more gang members. I like it. I'm patching in." Shikamaru's screen suddenly went dark before a lock appeared on the bank of screens. He frowned and reached for the mouse. "Leave that," the terse reprimand surprised him. "Go have your smoke, and come back; I can get set up in that amount of time."

Shikamaru arched his eyebrow at the authoritative woman's voice in his earpiece. "Using the camera on the computer?"

"Sure am. Now let me work."

Shikamaru sighed and put his headset down on the table. Just what he needed; one more pushy woman in his life.

* * *

Kiba ran into Shikamaru outside of the station. The strategist was just finishing his cigarette, and did not miss the tightened look on his fellow officer's face.

"I pulled in some extra help," he said, leading the way inside. He checked his watch; 11:26 AM. "You made a good call installing our app on that girl's phone. She might be connected to more people than we realized."

Kiba grimaced. "I have no idea who she is meeting with tonight; I'm not supposed to show up until 9:00, but the text indicates some people are meeting her at 8:00. I don't remember that particular bar being one of the more suspect ones."

Shikamaru nodded. "It hasn't been. It changed hands under suspicious circumstances about three months ago. Probably money owed to a gang or some other kind of extortion.

"Who owns it now?" Kiba asked as they entered Shikamaru's office.

"That's the suspicious part," Shikamaru slid into his seat. "It changed hands to a LLC that is obviously some kind of shadow company; it has been taking different small properties in Konoha. We don't know who is buying, though."

Kiba dropped into a chair next to him. "I'm more concerned with grabbing whoever shot Kakashi, and shutting them down first," he sighed. "One problem at a time."

"That 'problem' of yours might be bigger than you think."

Kiba looked around the room. "Who…?"

The main screen flashed back on restoring Shikamaru's desktop, while the other screens had clouds drifting lazily from monitor to monitor. Shikamaru sighed. "What did you find, Suna."

"Go find Shika-chan and the young Uchiha," another voice cooed making Kiba's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. A screen flicked to life, and the persnickety little man with the long eyelashes and red bow-tie waved to them. "Oh, is that the K-9 specialist? He matches the description. I look forward to working with you!" the voice chirped cheerfully. "Be a dear and go find Nara and Uchiha for us."

"Uchiha will be here shortly," Shikaku said as he entered the office with Sai in tow. "As will Ibiki." Shikaku closed the door, glad that Shikamaru's 'office' was large enough to accommodate the growing number of officers. He stood in front of the bank of monitors. "Mr. Gamariki," he bowed his head politely. "I did not expect to speak with you again so soon."

"Nor did I," the man clasped his hands and smiled brightly. "What a pleasure! Suna – are you online?" Another monitor flashed on, and the icon of a fan flicked on the screen. "Oh come now," Mr. Gamariki chided. "Icons?"

"Deal with it," the female voice said curtly.

Mr. Gamariki sighed. "Are the other two around?"

"Somewhere. I'm monitoring intake today."

Kiba crossed his arms. "What is all this?" he asked.

Shikaku motioned for everyone to pull chairs over and take a seat. "Mr. Gamariki graciously connected us with one of his sources. This team builds and designs the best reconnaissance technology and software available. Their engineer designed our phones, and the apps that we use to connect them."

"I thought the military designed them." Kiba said.

Another screen flicked on. The icon was white, except for a drawing of eyes, nose, and mouth outlined in purple kabuki makeup. "The military ordered them," the voice drawled. "I designed them. I also designed that Bluetooth mic you have recording your female operative even as we speak."

Shikamaru suddenly had a prickling feeling slide across his neck. "Is it operational?"

"Yeah. Recording and uploading via her phone since about 10:17 this morning. But you know that already, don't you "Shadow Stitcher." He snickered. "Who is this poor Inuzuka guy, anyway? Does he know you are pawing at his girl's underwear?" His screen suddenly flicked off, and the female voice cut through.

"He never knows when to shut up," she muttered. "Ignore him."

A voice yelled distantly in the background. "Did you block transmission? What the hell, Tem-UMPH!"

A third white screen with a red kanji popped up. "Excuse him," the smooth voice said evenly. "He has an odd and inappropriate sense of humor."

"Well if the Siblings are done playing," Mr. Gamariki rolled his eyes, "Can we have a report on what is happening?"

"My initial assessment is that this you have inadvertently stumbled upon an unknowing but valuable contact. It would be helpful to patch into this Karashi's phone as well," The smooth voice suggested. "Can this be done?"

"Who ARE you people?" Kiba finally asked.

Mr. Gamariki smiled. "I'm Mr. Gamariki. This trio of technologically brilliant if not socially lacking siblings go by the collective code name Kazekage. Individually, Tessen, Omozukai, and Sabaku are some of Jiraiya's most trusted operatives. We are in the process of cross referencing the information on the phones of your contacts with the known or suspected members of the gangs."

"So far," the female voice broke in, "There are several matches. They aren't all Kurosuki Family, though."

Sai looked over to Shikamaru. "If they aren't members of the Kurosuki family, then what is their affiliation?" he asked without inflection. "And who is 'W?' And who sent him a picture of Tenten?"

"If it isn't Sai!" Mr. Gamariki looked up. "I haven't seen you since – well, I can't say since when, can I? That was a confidential assassination. Oh, and is that Ibiki coming into the room? It's a little reunion here in Konoha!"

Kiba looked to Shikamaru with an arched eyebrow, but the man just shrugged. Kiba turned to Sai. "Aren't all assassinations confidential?" he asked quietly.

The screen that must have been Omozukai flicked back on. "I think you'd better get Snowflake in on this, Tessen" he chimed in. "I think we are heading into his territory."

"Like Sai, I'm a little concerned about this odd little chain of texts, children," Mr. Gamariki put a bright red pair of cat's eye reading glasses on the end of his nose. "Particularly this one signed 'W.' Tessen, see if you can isolate that particular phone and scan it."

"I'm on it," she replied. "Virus/app sent. Data streaming on our end."

Shikamaru's computer made some kind of alert sound, and data began pouring across the screen.

"Now," Mr. Gamariki said, folding his long fingers around a steaming cup of tea and taking a sip before replacing it somewhere out of the view of the camera, "What is this connection that you bright young things have made since I spoke with you earlier today?"

"Officer Inuzuka spotted Karashi out last night, and it was determined that he was in the company of this Kurosuki family," Shikamaru explained. "Two of our officers have a relationship to Karashi, and there was a connection suspected between the family and the attack on Captain Kakashi. I admit," he leaned back in his chair, "it seems like a longshot."

"Longshot or not," Omozukai said, "you stumbled upon a great resource. These contacts are lining up nicely with the data we already have. Once I cross reference the GPS history with the texts, we will have a better idea of their movements."

A sharp intake of breath came across the monitor.

"Tessen?" Mr. Gamariki raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"I… I found it. Him. I found his phone." her voice came back, haltingly. "I'm making him a priority to track – Omozukai; I think this guy uses burn phones, but he has an encrypted email he uses, and a photo cloud drive. Someone else is setting this up for him; you need to hack it at the root. We need to watch this guy."

"What are you seeing, Tessen," Mr. Gamariki asked in a steady, less dramatic voice.

"Pictures." She said with a controlled voice. "Excuse my language, but this is a sick fuck, gentlemen."

"Show us, Tessen," Mr. Gamariki said quietly. An ominous quiet filled the room interspersed only with the hum of machines and the click of keys.

"This is the least disturbing," she prefaced as a picture flashed up on the screen. "It's a wild boar," she explained. "Looks like the outskirts of Konoha." The giant beast was clearly dead, but had been slashed in multiple places with a large, sharp object. Probably a sword. "Apparently," she said, her voice tight with controlled anger. "This person gets 'bored.' This is how he copes." There was a pregnant pause. "But he doesn't limit himself to dead animals. I found pictures of at least two bodies, and one … one woman."

There was nothing said for a full thirty seconds.

Mr. Gamariki broke the silence with a firm but kind voice. "Be a dear, Officer Inuzuka and send your partner a text asking her to please install that app as quickly as she is able; I think we are going to want to recall the agents shortly."

On it," Kiba muttered and sent a quick text off to Tenten.

Mr. Gamariki cleared his throat. "We will be monitoring this particular suspect 24/7. The program is still cataloging the data, but it seems that whoever has the phone that corresponds with "W" is heading toward the restaurant. Just sent a text to that Ami girl that he will be there in 20. GPS doesn't show movement yet."

"You guys figure it out," Kiba stood quickly, suddenly overwhelmed and tired of sitting while his friends might be in harm's way. "I'm going to go get our lead and send the other two home."

"I'm going to smoke," Shikamaru sighed.

Shikaku motioned for Sai to take the chair where Chōji normally sat and he took Shikamaru's chair. Ibiki stood silent, arms crossed.

Shikamaru and Kiba walked out of the door.

"Here we go," Omozukai said grimly. "This guy is linked to Kurosuki, definitely. Wow. Patsy written all over him. He has too many connections he doesn't realize are outside ones."

"Shika-chan," Mr. Gamariki peered through his bright red glasses. "I think you should verify that contact I mentioned with Kakashi at your earliest convenience."

"Tessen is on that, Mr. Gamariki," Sabaku said.

"We're good," she announced curtly. "Just heard back from contact. In fact – it looks like someone is already heading to see Kakashi."

Shikaku frowned. "Should we intercept?"

Mr. Gamariki shook his head. "No. I expect we will be getting more information from that corner shortly."

"I'm going dark on your end while I run the data," Tessen said, her voice steely. "The boys will take care of you. Tessen out." Her icon switched to a closed fan.

"I'll stay online," Sabaku said in his calm voice. "We will make sure one of us is available at all times for the next 48 hours."

"That is an excellent idea," Captain Nara nodded sagely. "Thank you."

Sasuke walked in the room. "Sorry, Shikaku – I had to take a call from Asuma."

"Oh, it's the Uchiha!" Mr. Gamariki exclaimed. "Let's catch him up with what we have so far."

Sasuke looked to the older Nara with a suppressed grimace. As far as these kinds of interactions went, twice in one day was about three times to many. However the look on the Captain, Sai, and Ibiki's faces told him something was markedly different about this conversation. He entered the room without a word, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Kiba sped away to the restaurant, worried for his friends, but thinking about his conversation.

_Shikamaru walked him to his car._

_"You don't really need another cigarette, do you." Kiba stated, keeping his voice even, his stride brisk, and his glance sidelong._

_"And you don't think I was actually pawing at Tenten, do you?" Shikamaru asked dryly._

_Kiba snorted. "You aren't dead, so I doubt it. I trust there is a simple and damned good explanation for what that guy said?"_

_Shikamaru nodded. "Perfectly. Don't tell Tenten about this 'W' person until we have some solid information. Say her seamstress sent you and needs her to_ _call in immediately; we will keep Lee with her. You go round up this Karashi guy. Let's try to keep him away from his contacts until later."_

_"What about Ami?"_

_Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "She doesn't appear to be in any danger yet. Urge her to go home, or hang out with friends. Dissuade her from interacting with this "W" or "Z" she is texting. We can track her by her phone."_

_"How are we keeping Tenten out of this?" Kiba asked, opening the door to his SUV._

_"By keeping her in it elsewhere. Keep us posted."_

Kiba didn't like any of this. It sounded like they had inadvertently kicked a hornet's nest, and this 'Family' that had been a disorganized excuse for a crime ring was somehow involved with some incredibly serious shit. The fact that Tenten might somehow be on their radar now made him angry. He had promised Kakashi that he would look out for her; wouldn't let her do anything reckless.

He pushed his foot to the gas pedal.

He had a promise to keep.

* * *

Deserts have no water. They are difficult to supply with power. They are remote.

So what do you logically build in the middle of a Desert?

A rash of Casinos.

It was enough to make Las Vegas look like a cheaper and seedier Atlantic City.

Suna had the fanciest and most expensive casinos in existence as well as the requisite seedy joints. At the top of the tallest tower, Kazekage made their home in a penthouse accessible only by private elevator to an unmarked floor. When the sun set, darkness would cascade over the valley below them and the inky blackness of the desert night would turn Suna into a sparkling sea of floating lights. White and red serpents of head and tail lights would wind greedily around the city, devouring the night as the city nightlife both defied and reveled in the dark and raucously thrived until morning.

Suna was three hours behind Konoha; the morning sky was still purple and pink and clear. Sabaku, Tessen, and Omozukai were hard at work; Sabaku his normal thoughtful self, Tessen all business, and Omozukai gruff and nursing a hangover.

Tessen was scanning the texts streaming in from various phones. Now that they had Ami and Karashi's phones connected, she had some names to go with texts. She had turned the sound off to the Konoha branch, and motioned her brother to come over.

"Gaara, look at this," she said quietly. The contacts from various phones were beginning to filter in and cross reference, photos were being tagged – it was a goldmine of information, and Ami had been an ignorant lynchpin to it all. Karashi was connected to the Kurosuki brothers, as he said. There were enough texts about "funerals" to cross reference with multiple murders and deaths in Konoha. It seemed that pictures had been taken of the bodies. She was running a cross search for victims in the area.

The initial funerals were all homeless or simple vagrants. About two months ago, the profile began to change.

"See this guy?" she asked, pointing to a photo of a ragged, deceased man. "Look at his tattoo," she zoomed in on an unusual mark on the man's right shoulder.

She enlarged the picture and the computer began analyzing the image and cross referencing it across extensive database entries, spewing results faster than the eye could follow. "This was a shipping magnate from Land of Water. He got pushed out of the industry; apparently was bought out under a literal hostile takeover. He claimed asylum in Konoha, but it was suspected he had turned his 'family' into a black market cartel. We had been watching this guy, but he went missing five months ago. Turned up dead and buried last week; the autopsy hasn't been formally released; family hasn't even been notified yet."

"Can we see the coroner's report?" Gaara asked.

Temari nodded. "Autopsy of the found body showed he was hooked on heroin and OD'd. It looks like someone purposely got him hooked. The family's description before he disappeared matched addiction; they just thought he was sick. And look at this one – and this one." She paged through those 'found' and buried by the Kurosuki family.

"The profile of victims changed," Gaara said softly.

"The geography, too," Kankurō said over his shoulder. "Look. They were all taken from various places and placed into the Kurosuki family's jurisdiction. No way does that "family" have their shit that much together. That is why Gamariki didn't think the attempt on Kakashi was an organized attempt; their leader is a sick fuck, but he isn't an organized sick fuck."

Gaara arched an eyebrow "So someone is using them. Any new members since this started?"

Temari nodded. "Yes. This guy shows up in multiple photos. He's pegged as "Kusabi" by Ami and Karashi. He's got texts linking him to…" she frowned. "That's odd."

Gaara came to look over her shoulder. "What is it?"

She brought up a bank of texts. "It looks like all of the reporting in of the Kurosuki family comes from one place; I'm not linking it with a phone though. It's like the head of the family corresponds through someone at all times. I think…"

She looked at the texts again. "I think this Kusabi is trying to get to the head of the family. In fact…" She started to read

"In fact, what?" Kankurō asked, impatiently.

"I'm reading, I'm reading," she muttered. "As they move up, it is harder to hack the phones. I think," she said slowly, "that this Kusabi person is the one who suggested the hit on Kakashi; or at least on a cop."

"But why," Kankurō asked, rolling his chair behind hers.

"I think that is a question our friend Officer Inuzuka is going to have to ask this Karashi," Gaara said, his voice even.

"There is something else," Temari said, squinting at the screen. "Someone else is keeping tabs on just the Kurosuki family information. They are trying to link to some of Ami's contacts, but it isn't working."

"So someone on the inside suspects something is up," Kankurō crossed his arms. "Do we help them out? Let the rats cancel each other out?"

Gaara looked between his brother and sister. "Give them a clue," he said quietly. "Let's see if we can attack this problem from both sides. Send our suspicions to Gamariki privately; see what he wants to tell Konoha."

"Fine with me," Kankurō muttered. "I don't much like working with cops."

"You don't like working with anyone," Temari said over her shoulder. "Except your dolls."

"Like you're any better," he shot back. "When was the last time you talked to anyone that wasn't us and not through your computer?"

"Children!" a deep voice shot through the room. "I do not need you to waste time bickering!" He cleared his throat. "Now," his high pitched tone returned. "What do you have to tell me?"

Gaara smirked. "Quite a bit, Mr. Gamariki," he said sitting at his station. "Let's start with the person who is trying to out-hack the hackers."

* * *

Kiba pulled into the parking lot and went directly into the restaurant. Karashi was hunched over the booth across from Lee, his eyes fixed on Tenten. Kiba couldn't see her face, but when Karashi sat back to gape at him in surprise, she was there with her cardigan crossed tightly under folded arms, her hair tucked behind her except for one long, wayward curl that fell over her shoulder.

She was ok.

If Akamaru had been there, he would have dived under the table and buried his head in her lap until she soothed him with affection or bribed him away with treats.

Pakkun would have leaped into her lap and put his two paws on her shoulders, staring intently into her face as if verifying she were indeed OK.

Naruto would have climbed over Karashi (possibly punching him in the face first), yanked her into a giant, rib crunching hug, told her how worried they had all been, and to never do it again. And she would have laughed in confusion before apologizing for making him worry.

Kiba, though, gave no sign of the bone liquefying relief that coursed beneath his mask of extreme jerkism. He had to get them all out of there; there wasn't time to do much more than acknowledge she was ok.

He kept his face impassive as he led his friends out of the restaurant. He couldn't let her know there was a significant and unidentified risk; that was Shikamaru's territory.

"Trust me," he told her.

And she did.

He squelched a surging cocktail of recollection and regret that had been threatening to surface all day, and he went back into the restaurant. Karashi was banging around in back, but Ami slipped out to see him.

"Glad you came back" she purred standing way too close.

Kiba smirked. "You trying to make me jealous? Sending me pictures of other girls won't work."

She blushed. "Didn't realize that went to you, too," she stammered. He ignored the lie. What she hadn't realized was the group text function had been enabled.

"I don't like the sound of that 'W' guy," Kiba said, standing closer to her and speaking in a low voice. "Who is he?"

Ami rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's just Waraji. He thinks he's some kind of samurai. It's okay. His boy Zōri keeps him in line." Kiba suppressed a grimace. If those pictures were 'keeping him in line' he didn't want to see the alternative.

Keeping his cool – which was far harder than he would've imagined, Kiba crossed his arms and gave a pointed look at the girl who blushed in response. "Well he'd better if I'm there. Where did you even meet these guys?"

Ami flicked her eyes up to him coyly. "Jealous?"

"Let's just say," he gave her an appraising look, "it turns out I can be… possessive."

Ami giggled. "They aren't from around here. The new guy in the Family knew them from back home. I think he is trying to recruit them."

"New guy?"

"Kusabi," Ami said with a shudder. "Creepy guy; not nearly as cool as Zōri or badass as Waraji. Always talking about when he was back in the Land of Waves or something."

Karashi waved from the back; he was finishing up. Kiba got a text which he read quickly. "Delaying 'W' as much as can with traffic, but on his way. If you don't want to meet him get out."

Kiba cleared Shikamaru's text, while Ami frowned. "Texting your girlfriend?"

Kiba gave a low, slow laugh. "Now who's jealous?"

Ami tossed her hair and replied airily. "I'm more of a 'playing the field' kind of girl until I know who has my interest. Not like Karashi," she added derisively. "He only has eyes for that girl you saw earlier."

Kiba raised his eyebrow in amusement. "Oh?"

Ami smirked. "Been after her for years. He's known her for a long time, but she doesn't look interested at all. She comes in with that Lee character, but I can't pick up anything between them. I don't know what he sees in her anyway; she isn't really anything that special." She huffed. "I've never seen her actually put any effort into how she looks, though – even if she wasn't wearing makeup. Maybe she changed her mind about him," she shrugged.

Kiba noted the way her tone became tense. Perhaps this was actually the case of jealousy in the room. He shrugged "Didn't look like she was trying that hard," he offered.

She dug out her phone. "Oh no?" she asked, her eyebrows drawn together. "Exhibit A. The way she usually comes in here."

She turned her phone to him; it was Tenten sitting across from Lee again. It looked like she had a leg propped up on her side of the booth; grey shapeless pullover hoodie, black workout pants, and her hair in her standard two buns. Kiba didn't have time to respond before she turned her phone back to herself, swiped her finger rapidly through her gallery of photos, found one, and turned it back around to him. "Exhibit B." She handed him her phone.

The sound of a pot clattering behind them made Ami jump and look over her shoulder with a wince. She missed Kiba's face entirely. "Be right back," she said, hurrying to investigate.

Kiba was staring at her phone. The picture wasn't as blurry as the one she had sent him. Tenten's hair was long and loose in soft waves around her shoulders and down her back. She had a white with red-pinstripe collared button-down shirt under a red button-down sweater. He couldn't remember ever seeing her in anything that even required buttons, unless you counted her uniform.

The neckline of the shirt wasn't immodest, but there was a clear line of cleavage that she never showed, just… showing. Her expression was kind as she was clearly speaking to Karashi… who was staring down her shirt. Kiba reflexively flipped through the other pictures. Karashi looked at her with obvious interest, but also with some kind of awe. The photos shifted more to Karashi whose expression oscillated between embarrassment and a raw desire that looked out of place on his soft features. Kiba added "lucky as fuck Tenten didn't notice him staring," to his list of things to describe Karashi. The question was, he wondered, why didn't she notice? And why did Ami have an assortment of pictures of Tenten on her phone from before today? Ami bustled toward him, and he schooled his features into a mask of bored indifference that would've made even Shikamaru proud.

He had backed out of the pictures and handed Ami her phone as if unimpressed. "Don't see much to get worked up about," he said noncommittally.

"Me, neither!" she said emphatically. "It's Karashi. He's too soft to be like the other guys," she complained. "I'm not sure why the Family even keeps him around."

"So what is he doing with them?"

She shrugged. "He runs errands. He feeds them; they come here after funerals a lot. They help support the restaurant. His mom has been sick, and he needs the money. None of the other gangs bother us now. I think he is hoping to either build up the restaurant or sell it and start over."

"They have a lot of funerals?" he asked.

She nodded. "They seem to have a lot of them. I'm not sure why. I think maybe Raiga is being nice and paying for the funerals of people that can't afford them. They are a big deal though; the whole family goes. All except Ranmaru."

"Who is that?"

She drew her brows together in concentration "I think he is Raiga's (oh, he's the family head) sick friend or family member or something. Pre-teenish in a wheelchair and always on his laptop. I haven't seen him, but I've heard him mentioned. He doesn't go out much. He's the only one that Raiga won't let attend the funerals." She seemed to realize she had been giving a lot of information to someone she didn't really know. "Like I said, I… I think it is actually all, like, y'know, charity work." She stammered. "Like, if people are poor and can't pay for a funeral. I heard that he almost took care of one for a cop – but they didn't need him in the end. He seemed really disappointed about that."

Kiba's ears perked up at this, and he desperately hoped Shikamaru and the others were listening as keenly. "When was this?" he asked as clearly and without inflection as possible.

"A couple of days ago." She shrugged. "He gets really into these things; he was going on and on about how special that kind of funeral would be since cops are like a family and they would all come out to support a fallen member, blah blah blah. He is always giving speeches about that sort of thing. Real tug at the heartstrings sort of stuff."

Kiba felt his blood simmer. This girl had no fucking clue that she was probably discussing how his friend and Captain had been mercilessly gunned down and left to die in a pile of bloodied snow on the steps of the Konoha police department. He made a show of checking his phone for the time and then making a sound of disgust.

"Karashi!" he barked. "Let's get a move on!" He looked down at her. "Get your things. We are leaving here in 60 seconds, with or without him."

"R-right," she said, scurrying back to the kitchen, interpreting his impatience as being with her boss rather than with what she had said.

Kiba didn't have time to text. He called Shikamaru directly.

It barely even rang once. "I heard," he said. "We are running the names through the system. Asuma is redirecting traffic citing impassible roads to buy you time, and to allow Ibiki's men to pick them up as a tail. But you need to get out of there now. You up for detail tonight."

"Absolutely," he said grimly.

"Get those two out of there and then get some rest. You don't want us to have to call your mom in to clean this shit up."

Kiba couldn't help the ghost of the smile. "Understood."

Karashi and Ami finally came in.

"I'm parked in back," Kiba said, taking command of the situation. "Lock up and let's get going. I don't like to wait," he said pointedly and heading for the exit. It had its desired effect as Karashi ran to lock up. "I'll drop you off," he said to Ami.

"I took the bus, so that is great," she gushed. "You can take me to my girl Fuki's salon."

Without even a look behind him, he strode out of the back door, unlocked his car – which was amazingly devoid of any dog hair or smell – started the engine and waited for the two to scurry in his wake. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Tenten is safe with me. Making her rest before her shift with Kakashi. Chōji will be there tonight. Please keep an eye on Karashi; he isn't a bad person."

Kiba looked at the text from Lee and blew out a heavy sigh. "Maybe not," he mumbled, "but aside from you and Ten, he sure has some shitty taste in friends."

Karashi and Ami tumbled into his slick SUV with a gust of wind and snow. The doors had barely closed before he was getting them out of the parking lot, on the road, and toward Fuki's salon. He dropped her off like a jerk, not a gentleman. He pulled to a rolling stop, he didn't help her out, and she ate up every second. He paused long enough for her friend to see his cool car, and to see her getting out of said cool car before rumbling away to leave her standing and staring after him.

Karashi looked over to him expectantly. "Where are we going?" he asked, cheeks flushed with poorly disguised excitement.

Kiba checked his rearview. "Parking garage," he said without further explanation. "I'll get more instructions from there." He glanced up to the "OnStar" insignia on the console above his rearview mirror. He wasn't patched into any normal roadside assistance; he knew Shikamaru was going to tell him where to go.

"Coordinates received," his GPS chirped in a soothing female voice. "Calculating best route."

Karashi's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Looks like instructions came early," he said, turning to follow the ribbon of red outlined on the screen. "Let's see where the boss wants us to go."

* * *

Tenten had made it for about 3 minutes over at Lee's before the smell of curry overwhelmed her. Recognizing that particular grimace from previous trips to the Curry of Life restaurant, Lee gallantly escorted her down the hall to her own apartment, and ordered delivery. She had lived above the dojo for several years now with Lee as a neighbor. They had very different schedules, but it was always nice to know she wasn't completely alone. The dojo was next to Guy's YOUTH! Center, where she swam daily, and offered swim classes to kids during the summer and winter.

Ami was right; on paper she was cross listed as an outreach/academy officer and an EMT. Nowhere on paper was she listed in the Investigations department. As the lone female officer available for regular undercover work, they had to make it appear that she was never undercover. It would be too easy to deduce who she was and then look out for her in the field, blowing the cover of any operation in a heartbeat. If that meant people thought she was a night desk clerk, or a tick in the affirmative action column, then so be it.

She and Lee were the only tenants in this building, so no neighbors saw the comings and goings of either officer. It was part of the reason she had moved from her old neighborhood in the first place. She was worried she might endanger the other tenants, sand Kakashi was worried they might endanger her. Guy had offered the apartment as a compromise.

"We have to call Shikamaru," she said, yawning as she turned the key in the lock.

Lee opened the door for her once she unlocked it, unquestionably a gentlemen. As soon as she was in, he entered, locked the door, and began to remove his shoes. She had already pulled a boot off, and was trying to remove its twin while he grabbed pen and paper from her counter.

She was concerned. Kiba was clearly in undercover mode, but he was also in lockdown. What had happened between his first discussion with Karashi and his odd return to the restaurant?

Nodding at Lee, he called Shikamaru and put the call on speaker.

"This is Shikaku."

"Lee and Tenten," he said back with his usual energy, but with a look to Tenten. Where was Shikamaru? "We made it back to the dojo."

"Excellent," the elder Nara said in his calm, rough voice. "We are processing all of the information gathered today. There is a possibility that the Kurosuki family knows you both are cops. We want you both to stay out of the field this afternoon. Tenten; rest up – the hospital shift might go long if a raid goes down tonight."

"You think there will be a raid?" she asked, incredulously.

"I think we are going to smoke out a few rats. Don't worry; your friend will be safe."

Lee and Tenten exchanged glances.

"What about his mother?" Lee asked. "Should she be looked after?"

"We have a patrol in her area. When Tenten goes to the hospital, you can be released to go there, Lee."

Lee nodded and then looked at Tenten before adding. "And, Kiba? Is he in any danger?"

"Not at the moment," Shikaku answered. "He is transporting Karashi to a safe location, and then is being sent home to get sleep before tonight. I'll make sure he is fit to go back out to the field before I send him." There was a brief pause. "Excellent work, both of you. Very intuitive of you, Tenten, to have pieced that information together. Kakashi would be proud of you."

"Thank you, Captain." She said with a small smile. She heard Shikamaru in the background.

"Shikamaru says that you can remove the mic, but it can't be turned off. Place it in a dry, safe location. Someone will come by before your shift to pick it up."

"Tell your son," Tenten said, narrowing her eyes at the phone. "That if he wants to get his hands on my bra so badly, he can damned well do it himself."

Lee turned a bright, vibrant shade of red, and Shikaku seemed to choke on what was probably a laugh.

"Understood, Officer," he said, attempting to recover. "Rest up. Nara out."

Tenten glared at the phone even as it declared "Call Ended" in flashing letters. "Troublesome," she finally muttered.

Lee looked at the time. "Food should be here soon," he said, trying to change the subject. "I am sure you haven't been to bed yet," he said. "We'll have lunch, since we didn't get to eat at Karashi's, and then you must get some rest. You will have to be at Kakashi's side tonight, and you might be the only officer on duty. You will need to be at your best."

Tenten smiled warmly at Lee.

"Thanks," she suppressed a yawn. "I'm going to go change – I'll be right back.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder absently, and Lee followed the motion as if watching something very different. "You look very youthful today," he said again. "Karashi was most impressed."

Tenten gave him a sweet smile. "Thanks, Lee."

She headed back to her bedroom and closed the door. She eyed herself in the mirror before beginning to unbutton her shirt.

_"You realize," Shikamaru had said as she flicked through her closet, "That for this mic to pic up anything, you'll need to wear something with a lower cut and light fabric."_

_"Good thing it's not freezing outside. Oh. Wait. It is."_

_"Here," he reached in for the fitted dress shirt. "This and this," he grabbed the red cardigan that would make her feel more comfortable. "Still good access for the mic, and probably good enticement for Karashi."_

_"Nara," she warned as he turned around to let her changed._

_"Call it what it is, Tenten," he said lazily. "Give the guy a reason to talk to you."_

_"I don't see why I have to give him these two reasons specifically," she groused. "It's safe," she said, fiddling with the sweater. "Ok?" she asked._

_"It's fine. Don't look so nervous," he sighed. "It's not indecent; you're just not used to seeing yourself look like that." He fished a pashmina scarf out of the closet and tossed it to her. "Still," he drawled, "I'd save those for after Kiba leaves," he advised. "He probably won't talk to you before then anyway. That will ensure you keep Karashi's attention even if other customers come through."_

_"What is with you and worrying about Kiba," she muttered. "He's my partner, not my dad," she tied the scarf artfully around her neck, stopping. "Kakashi told him to watch out for me, didn't he," she said with dawning realization. "That's why you don't want him to know about all of this."_

_"Yeah. That's it." He deadpanned._

_"Well I wouldn't worry," she reached for the knife she was going to wear in her boot. "You might be the only person on the planet that knows I have anything other than a bullet proof vest under my shirt other than the friend that harped on me until I bought this torture device masquerading as a bra."_

_"And Naruto," he reminded her._

_"Naruto knows nothing," She adjusted the scarf and batted her long hair over her shoulder impatiently. "He probably just thinks I got less fat."_

_"Just do me a favor," Shikamaru called over his shoulder as he went back to the other room to pack up his gear._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Make sure that if anyone ever finds out I've been around the only female officer under 25 while she was half-dressed, that it was 100% professional. Kakashi would have my head."_

_Tenten laughed. "Like anyone would believe you," she rolled her eyes. "I got your back, Nara. Just don't go telling Ino that you know what my bras look like."_

_"Count on it," he said emphatically._

Tenten hung her clothes back up and laughed at herself for the earlier conversation. Who would know? And more to the point, who would care? Naruto might do his brother thing, but other than that it was all business. She fought with her bra for several minutes before finally getting it unhooked. Somehow she suspected Lee would try to help her while looking away, and it would take twice as long.

She suddenly realized she only had one uniform shirt left. She grimaced. It was the one from the night Kakashi had been shot. She had tried to get the stains out, but there would be no saving the shirt. She had washed it and hanged it in her closet anyway. She wanted the reminder of how lucky they had been, and how important it was to catch the people responsible.

She pulled on the black yoga pants, sports bra, tank top, oversized blue zip-up hoodie, and monster feet slippers, and padded out to the kitchen with a mesh bag of uniform shirts and pants. Lee had just received their food, and she was a delicious sandwich and a half gallon of water away from bed time.

"Sorry you are stuck with me," she yawned, her full stomach plus the sound of the washing machine not helping her stay awake, "but there must be a good reason if Nara Sr. says so. Make yourself at home, Lee," she said, indicating her comfy couch and chair and TV. "I'm going to nap out here until my uniforms are done, and then get some shut eye."

Lee shook his head. "I have had a full night's sleep, and have nothing to do. I shall make sure your uniforms are washed and ironed to regulation standards for you."

"You don't have to do that," she said kindly, fighting back another yawn.

"It is no trouble," he assured her. "I shall be glad to do it."

She didn't have the energy to argue, and was actually grateful for the favor. "I owe you one, Lee," she said turning to go to bed. "Thanks."

"Rest well," he called to her retreating back. When her door shut, he looked around the apartment with a critical eye. It was neat and orderly, but she had no time to properly clean or dust. A spark shined in his eye and he went directly to the supply closet. "I'm on the job!" he announced to the thin air.

Tenten closed the door behind her. Her room was dark and cool, and she suddenly felt very, very tired. She checked her phone. Was it really only 1:30? She set an alarm for 4:30; that would give her time to wake up if they needed her before her 6:00 shift. She sent a text to Shikamaru.

_'Setting alarm 4:30. If you can't reach me, text Lee; he will probably be doing aerobics in my living room.'_

She then sent a text to Kiba

_'No idea what's up, but be careful, partner. Safe at home with Green Beast. If vet needs to drop the kids off, GB will answer door. Check in when you can.'_

Last text was to Hana: _'Lee is here if you need to drop dogs by my place. Can take Akamaru and Pakkun. Thanks for everything.'_

Physically unable to string together even one more sentence, she flopped back on her pillows and pulled her down comforter over her weary body.

Her phone buzzed several times.

From Shikamaru: _Set alarm for 6:00. Ride will pick you up 6:30._

From Hana: _I might do that; getting crowded here. Glad to help._

She had drifted into a light sleep when the last text came rolling in.

From Kiba: _Nara will fill you in. Will do. Glad you are safe. H will be by. Give kids my love._

She smiled and closed her eyes, managing to only open one at the last text.

From Kiba: _Put mic in box with bad song on loop. Payback._

Tenten was instantly up, and grabbed her ipod. She found a song she knew Shikamaru would hate, cranked it up, put it on loop with the mic between the earbuds, and stuffed it all back in her drawer.

From Tenten: _You are a genius. Possibly an evil genius. Glad you are on our side. Night._

From Kiba: _ditto._

With a small smirk, Tenten dropped off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kiba looked at that last text from her as he drove away from where he had left Karashi. He needed sleep and he needed it now. One quick stop by the station and he was done. He strode into 'command central' and the look from Shikamaru said it all. "What's wrong," he asked innocently.

"Your partner." He said, his face pinched.

"What about her?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at him. "She got some advice," he said flatly. "But why the hell does she have that stupid Barbie-girl song? She can't possibly like it." He looked over to him. "Shouldn't you be going home to sleep?"

Kiba nodded. "Any more on those guys?" he asked.

Shikamaru turned back to his monitor. "We are trying to track them and see who they are. They aren't Kurosuki, but I also don't think they are free-lance thugs. I think they are part of another organization."

Kiba frowned. "So we are watching some kind of turf war?"

Shikamaru frowned. "More like a business version of a hostile takeover. I don't think the Kurosuki family even knows they are being infiltrated, if they in fact are. Either way, we are watching this Waraji character. It isn't going to matter to his potential victim what his gang affiliation is or isn't"

Kiba gave him a dark look, "Any indication Tenten is up for consideration that list?"

Nara sighed. "She's on their radar. Has been for a while, it turns out. So is Lee. That Ami girl has been reporting on anyone that comes to the restaurant regularly. We made sure that all available electronic information on her puts her as an academy/outreach officer. We are trying not to give them a reason to see her as a potential threat. Luckily, Ami never tells them much about the women that come through, and there aren't many. We are going to get Inoichi on this – maybe Ino to do some psych profiling."

Kiba smothered a yawn.

"Get going," Shikamaru waved him away. "You need to rest up tonight."

"Who is on patrol at the hospital tonight?" Kiba asked. "Chōji?" He didn't need to add 'besides Tenten.'

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "It turns out," he said slowly, "that there is a nurse on loan from the VA hospital. She's assigned to Kakashi's floor."

Kiba arched an eyebrow. "When did this happen?"

Nara smirked "About five minutes after Uchiha Itachi heard what happened to Kakashi. She has been in place this whole time. Nurse Uzuki will take the nightshift today. Chōji is currently assigned to be there, as long as we can spare him." He leaned back in his chair. "Will you go home already?" he sighed. "I have enough to deal with."

Kiba headed for the door. "At least you have music to listen to," he shot over his shoulder, enjoying the glare he received as the door shut behind him.

* * *

Hana had Akamaru and Pakkun in tow as she approached Tenten's door. One of her techs had given the dogs a bath, so Akamaru was sulking and Pakkun was preening. She reached out a hand to knock, when the door opened, and she saw Lee in a frilly apron, pink kerchief around his hair, and matching pink elbow-high cleaning gloves. She was speechless.

"Oh, Hana!" he said brightly, before suddenly looking over his shoulder and lowering his voice. "Come on in," he held the door open for her. "Tenten is sleeping."

"I can't stay," she said quietly, "but she said it was alright if I dropped the dogs off. Kiba will probably be by for Akamaru." She bent down and took the leashes off of the dogs. They both beelined for Tenten's room and pushed the door open. Lee's eyes bugged open and he started to go after them, but Hana reached out and stopped him with a kind hand. "They won't wake her," she assured him. "Here are their leashes and a goody bag," she smiled. "If you get bored cleaning here, you are always welcome at the kennel," she said with a good natured smile. "Take care, Lee." She was at her car when Kiba pulled into the lot.

"I just dropped of the boys," she said with slight dismay. "If I'd known you were on your way, I'd have kept Akamaru to give you"

"It's ok, sis," he said. "I'm on assignment tonight. I think I'm going to have Tenten take Akamaru with her to the hospital."

"You're worried about her," Hana said.

"Yeah," Kiba admitted. "I don't like what we're seeing about these guys. Pakkun can stay with Kakashi and Akamaru can go with her if she needs to leave the room."

"Why are you here, then?" she asked.

Kiba shrugged. "I actually only decided to leave Akamaru with her about a minute ago. I was going to tell Lee then go home and crash for a while."

"You look like you could use the sleep," she said with honest concern. "But you can't sleep without Akamaru," she said tipping her head to the side.

Kiba laughed. "I'll manage. Don't worry about it. Get back to the clinic, and thanks for everything."

She checked her watch and gave a small start. "I do have to run." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be careful, little brother."

He watched her speed away before he went upstairs. Lee answered the door in his getup, and Kiba chuckled. "So she did finally buy you cleaning supplies." Lee often got the cleaning bug and would haul all of his things to her apartment on a whim. Tenten went out and bought the kerchief, gloves, and apron as a joke, but Lee accepted the consideration behind the gift with good humor.

"These aprons really are useful," he said, staring down at the pink bibbed apron. "The pockets are quite convenient. Also, I no longer have to try to keep the dust out of my hair when I am dusting at full speed. It really is a clever system."

Kiba nodded. Any man comfortable enough to wear green spandex was sure as hell not going to be spooked off by a frilly apron and a head scarf.

He nodded to the back of the apartment. "Is she sleeping?"

Lee closed the door behind him and removed his gloves while Kiba kicked off his shoes. "Soundly. The dogs didn't even disturb her. She must be quite tired."

A buzzer sounded and Lee sprang into action, removing her uniform shirts and pants from the dryer. He immediately began to iron with an efficiency and speed that made it look like some kind of ancient laundry taijutsu technique. Forget Drunken Fist, Lee was the master of Spray Starch and Hot Iron.

Actually, Kiba reminded himself with a shutter, it would be bad to forget about Drunken Fist. The last time that happened, Lee had to be put in protective custody for a week from the gang he had beaten up and the owner of the bar where he had done it. Lee handed him two hangers; one with a crisp pair of pants, the other with an immaculately pressed shirt.

"You can grab Akamaru; will you just put these inside her closet? That way she will have one ready for her when she wakes up."

Kiba nodded mutely. He guessed it wouldn't hurt to bring Akamaru home and then have him brought by the hospital. He gently pushed open the door, waiting as his eyes adjusted to the darker room. He really wasn't in Tenten's apartment much; and he was pretty sure he'd only been in her room two or three times, counting the time he helped her move in. He could just make out her form huddled under her blanket, and felt something loosen in his chest.

She was safe.

He saw the open half of the sliding door, and went to hang her uniform. He saw one shirt hanging in plain view. It took him a moment to register what was odd about the uniform shirt. What had she washed it with? Did she put it in the washer on hot with something of a different color? He had the bottom hem of the blue long-sleeved shirt in his hand, and he peered at it. He suddenly realized what he was seeing. The shirt was stained, but not by some rogue garment. Blood. Bloodstains. He suddenly saw her looking up at him from the snow, covered with Kakashi's blood, and knew the stains were from that night. He hanged her clean uniform and gingerly took the stained shirt out. He flipped it over in his hands critically. She'd never be able to get those out; more than 2/3 of the shirt as unsalvageable. Why was she keeping it? He gently returned the shirt to the closet, his hand still holding the end of her sleeve as if he could hold her hand in his. What if –

He heard the door creak and Lee was motioning to him frantically. Kiba stepped outside of the door and followed him to the living room.

"I just got a call," he said in as quiet a voice as possible. "Sanshō needs her medicine and Karashi is with Ibiki and Sai. She thinks he is at the restaurant. Can you stay here until someone can come take my place?"

Kiba looked over at Tenten's couch. "No problem. I'll crash out here while you are gone; they don't need to send a replacement. Let me just get my stuff from my car."

"Thank you!" Lee continued quickly removing the apron, and kerchief. "I will go to my apartment and get my things in case I need to stay; I'm on detail over there tonight anyway. I'll let Shikamaru know about the change in plans." When Kiba came back, Lee hurried to the door. "I am most grateful, Kiba, thank you again," he bowed his head. "Lock up behind me," he said and went out of the door, only to rush back in. "Here," he retrieved the rest of the ironed and hanged uniforms. "Please put these in her closet. Thanks!"

Kiba bolted the door and flipped over the hotel lock for good measure. He managed not to sigh. His detail wasn't until later; he'd have time to go home and get ready after Tenten left. He hanged her clothes up noiselessly; neither Tenten nor the dogs stirred. He took his bag to the bathroom and changed into his sweats and a T-shirt, then went back to her room to try and roust Akamaru.

He stood near the edge of the bed with his hands on his hips. Pakkun was curled at her side, and Akamaru was curled on the floor against the bed. "C'mon," he said in low voice. Akamaru looked up at him dolefully. Kiba was fast losing patience. He was tired, sore from a fight, and ready for sleep. "Let's go," he said, but Akamaru didn't move. Kiba narrowed his eyes at the dog, and gave the hand signals again. Nothing. A low growl rumbled in the room, and he widened his eyes in disbelief at his dog. When Akamaru looked up at the bed, Kiba realized it was Pakkun. The little dog was poking his head up over Tenten's sleeping form, fur on end, giving a deep warning growl.

Kiba stared at the little dog and gave him the hand signal to stand down. No dice. Kiba threw his hands in the air. What the hell was wrong with everyone today? Tenten shifted in her sleep, and Kiba froze. She had the covers up over her shoulders, but he could see her hair wound sloppily behind her, and the soft curve of her cheek.

"I give up," he grumbled. He went out to the couch, grabbed one of Tenten's throw blankets and pillows that she kept for movie nights and tried to lie down.

Akamaru started whimpering, loudly.

Kiba grabbed the blanket and went back to the room. Tenten was still asleep. "Really?" he hissed at Akamaru. "Either come with me or hush."

Pakkun started to growl.

Kiba dropped to the floor, put his head on Akamaru's stomach, and covered himself with the blanket. "Happy?" he muttered. He started to doze off almost immediately. Pakkun growled.

"I'm going to kill you both," Kiba swore under his breath, half asleep. Pakkun was quiet for a second longer, then he growled again.

Kiba ignored him.

"Pakkun, what is it?" Tenten asked groggily. Pakkun raced to the edge of the bed and growled. Kiba looked up to see Tenten peering over the edge of her bed in confusion. "What are you doing on my floor?"

Before Kiba could answer, his head whacked off of her floor. He sat up rubbing the back of his head gingerly as Akamaru gracefully lept up into bed and found a place in the middle, turned around, and laid down.

"Traitor," Kiba growled.

Tenten looked to the dog, then to Kiba, then to the dog. "Where is Lee?"

Kiba sighed. "Checking on Sanshō. I'm going back to the couch." He stood, grabbed the blanket, and was three steps out of the door when Akamaru started howling, loudly this time. Tenten looked at the dog, concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Show me."

The dog promptly got off of the bed, went to Kiba, herded him back in the room and pulled at the blanket with his teeth. Kiba looked at him, eyes wide. "You want the blanket? You're cold?!"

Tenten laughed. "I don't think he wants you in the other room," she said before yawning. Akamaru jumped back in the bed, circled behind her, and looked to Kiba expectantly. Tenten scratched his ears. "Let him be," she chided the large, white dog "can't you see how tired he is?" Akamaru nuzzled her hand.

"C'mon, Inuzuka," she said, yawning. "It's a king bed and we're chaperoned. We both need our sleep, and it's the only way we'll get any peace."

Kiba stared at her. She didn't even really like people in her apartment, much less her room. This was way out of bounds.

"Pakkun's here," she said, "so you know I don't snore."

He kept staring at her.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But the next time I'm woken up, I'm coming up shooting." She turned over, and faced the wall. Pakkun trotted over her and wriggled into the space between her stomach and knees. Akamaru curled and put his back to her and faced Kiba.

Warily, Kiba lowered himself onto the noiseless, springless mattress. Akamaru shifted, and rested his head on his large paws and Kiba's side. Kiba flopped one arm across the dog's shoulders and the crook of the other elbow across his face. Akamaru fidgeted and Kiba raised his head sleepily, annoyed. Tenten shifted and moved her pillow so she could fling an arm over the dog's middle while Pakkun curled into the back of her legs. She lazily curled and uncurled her fingers in the dog's soft fur.

"Enough, now," she said, not really awake. "Let him sleep." Akamaru gave a large, contented sigh, and was instantly asleep. She looked over to Kiba, trying to focus.

"Everything ok?" she asked, her eyelids heavy.

Kiba turned his head to look at her. "Yeah."

"And you'll be careful if you go on a raid tonight?" she yawned, her eyes drifting closed.

"Sure. Will you keep Akamaru with you tonight at the hospital?"

"Sure," she mumbled. "Be careful tonight. You know how I worry."

He stared at her, but her even breathing and soft expression assured him she was asleep. He glanced down at her hand that was slowing in Akamaru's fur, and gently covered it with his own. "I know," he said softly.

He did know. Even as he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep, he did know how she worried for him because he knew how much he worried for her. Somewhere in his sleep addled mind, he also recognized that she said "How I worry," not "How Akamaru worries." Granted, in their world, it meant the same thing, but the subtle difference put a smile on his face, even in sleep.

* * *

Otoha stopped at the nurse's station and gathered the charts for rounds. Nurse Uzuki would come on shift around 4:00 PM and she wanted to make sure everything was in order for her. She glanced at the schedule. The VA nurse would be on shift until almost 7:00 AM. She shook her head; the VA must really demand a lot from their nurses for her to take that kind of shift willingly so many times this week. Determined not to tarnish the reputation of her hospital in the eyes of the visitor, Otoha squared her shoulders and went on her rounds. She saw that Captain Kakashi was sleeping lightly, and his energetic friend Guy was keeping vigil. She wondered about the beautiful woman that had come earlier that morning. Her long brown hair was straight and shiny, her figure was graceful, and her voice was soft and reserved. She hadn't seen her in here previously – maybe it was a family member. She nodded, checked his vitals, and, after making sure Guy didn't need anything, returned to her rounds.

She entered the room three doors down and across the hall. "So nice to see you up," she said cheerily to the patient at the table. He looked up at her, his expression neutral. "Let's just check those vitals." She worked quickly and quietly, and the boy said nothing. "Any visitors coming today?" she asked conversationally.

"Later tonight," he shrugged. "If he can make it."

"I hope he can," she said warmly. "Does he have to work?"

"Usually," he answered. "He might have to go to a funeral. You can never tell."

Otoha thought that was a strange reply, but did not question the young man. "Do you want to get back into bed, or do you want to stay in your chair?"

He backed his wheelchair out slightly, and nodded to the laptop on the table. "I'll sit."

"Alright then," she smiled. "I hope your friend can make it tonight. Have a good evening, Ranmaru!"

With that she went out of the room humming to herself. Looked like everything was smooth sailing tonight!

When the door clicked closed, Ranmaru turned back to his laptop and pulled up the phone records he was trying to track. There was something about that new family member that he didn't like, and he wanted to figure it out before Raiga came to visit him tonight.

Tonight, Raiga would decide whether or not to finish the funeral for the officer down the hall, or whether to help someone else. He watched the clock. He'd wait until the shift change before wheeling himself around the floor a few times and checking the situation out. Maybe then, Raiga would bring him home. He put his music in his ears and went back to tracking the family members.

He was never quite sure what he had done, but suddenly he was able to access information that had been blocked for the last three days he was in the hospital. He got to work. Depending on what he found out, by the end of tonight, the ward might have one less patient, or the family might have one less member. Either way, Raiga would get his funeral.

* * *

**_A/N: _**

**_Translations for the Sand Sibling's code names:_**

**_Tessen: Iron Fan_**

**_Omozukai: Head puppeteer/Puppet Master_**

**_Sabaku: Desert_**

**_Thanks for reading! For those of you who asked for more SasuTen, I think you see the direction we are headed. I did put up a oneshot SasuTen "Konoha: 1931," though. _**

**_DoN has to be backburnered for at least a week so I can catch up on "You Must Believe in Spring." Don't worry; I already have half of the next chapter written, so the next update won't be too long from now. Your feedback is so very much appreciated; thanks for taking the time to share it! _**


	7. Chapter 7: The Wild Card

_A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of his friends._

_Hello, friends! I have spent the last few weeks hashing out a couple of chapters. I often write several at a time to maintain continuity, and have been publishing some longer installments lately. Looking ahead, my schedule is going to be hectic, so I have decided to post more regularly with shorter chapters. This should give me a chance to stay on top of updates rather than waiting a month to put out 15k to 20k chapters. I hadn't intended for this story to get so involved, but it looks like that is where we are. I hope you will forgive the moderate submission length (sticking 5k- 10k) in favor of getting updates more often. With chapters 8 and 9 already roughed out, we are good to go!_

* * *

**Double or Nothing**

**The Wild Card**

**_- a person or thing whose influence is unpredictable or whose qualities are uncertain (a playing card that can have any value/suit/color in a card game)_**

Kakashi's morning had been largely uneventful.

Tenten's shift ended at 6:00 AM but she came back up to say goodbye after her swim. Lee said he had to check something quickly, so Tenten got a moment in with the Captain.

"I have to go in early to give Uchiha my report," she shifted her bag on her back. "Sorry I can't stay longer, but I'll be back as soon as I am able."

"You haven't been taking any unnecessary risks, have you?" he asked her. "You don't want your Captain worrying himself sick when he is supposed to be resting his old bones, do you?"

She laughed her light, easy laugh. "Just visiting old ladies, Captain. No one has even threatened me with a knitting needle or an arranged date with some obscure and undoubtedly hairy relative yet. It's all good."

Kakashi had smiled at that. The old biddies were always trying to fix her up with someone – since "such a nice girl" couldn't _possibly_ be happy being single. Of course he knew that Tenten was perfectly content with her current situation, but he wasn't an old biddy. He was, however, concerned that maybe she was short selling herself by being content. He knew for a fact that she weighed her personal life against her professional life, and always sacrificed the former for the latter. Her excuse had always been that her only real family was part of her professional life, and she would never risk doing anything to lose that. Kakashi absolutely believed her, but he also felt there was more to the story. Given what was in her personnel file, he was sure of it.

"Well, as long as you are being careful," he said mildly.

Tenten looked to him a moment. "I'm really glad you are back, Captain," she said quietly. "Just in case I hadn't mentioned it before."

Kakashi's good eye crinkled tiredly.

"No place I'd rather be," he patted her arm fondly, "Unless there is a good happy hour special?" he looked around the hospital wryly.

"On me, the first day we get you out of here, and you are cleared" she promised with a smile.

Lee entered the room with a basket of fruit and handed Tenten a banana and an apple. "I brought extra today," he beamed.

"You're the best, Lee," Tenten said putting her coat on. "I can eat these on the way to the station."

A quiet knock at the door preceded Dr. Haruno's entrance. "Good morning," she said cheerfully, despite the early (or late if you were Tenten) hour.

The pink haired doctor smiled at Tenten and Lee. She liked them. Officer Tenten always stuck around every morning to hear the latest report, and Lee had a sort of genuine and earnest sweetness about him that extended to everyone that walked into the room.

"Let's see how the patient is doing," she said, reaching for his chart. "Looks like your vitals are all good, and your wounds are healing nicely," the doctor smiled as she flipped through his chart. "How is your pain? Are we managing it well enough for you?"

Kakashi answered her professional and direct questions, pleased that while she clearly did not waste time, she also spent time with him as a patient.

He had to shake his head. He had heard that Haruno Kizashi's little girl had gone on to become a doctor, but he hadn't met her before now. Kizashi had been a good beat cop that had retired a few years ago after a long and steady career. Kakashi found out later that not only she had worked diligently to save him, but she had gone so far as to donate blood when they needed one more donor. Dr. Haruno had since made it a habit to check in on him no matter what her rotation.

"What are his orders for today, Doc?" Tenten asked, offering the woman an apple from Lee's basket.

"One of these, for starters," she took the knife Tenten had put by the bedside and quickly peeled and sliced the apple for Kakashi, placing it on the plate left for him. She washed her hands and gratefully accepted the apple Tenten held out for her and took a bite. "Dr. Kato Shizune will come by later to do his physical therapy. I wouldn't worry, though," her face was composed but the look she slid Tenten was positively mirthful. "His friend Guy has been hugely helpful in making sure that Captain Kakashi finishes all of his exercises with… alacrity."

"Guy-Sensei is the best!" Lee assured Dr. Haruno. "Captain Kakashi will recover in no time with him helping!" Kakashi suppressed a groan. He might need to recover from the recovery if Guy kept helping him.

Tenten nodded. "Guy has already offered to help with the Captain's home health care," she said, poker face in place. "I asked Dr. Kato to draw up a simple plan for him so that we keep up with her instructions to the letter." She narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, and the man sweat dropped. He was hoping that he would be released soon and just be able to avoid any rehabilitative activities for a while. He had a sinking feeling that wouldn't be the case.

"You are improving, Captain," Dr. Haruno said kindly, "Frankly I'm impressed by how fast you have recovered so far," she said, "but it will be a while before you are completely healed."

"Don't worry," Tenten smirked. "He has a whole police station full of people ready to help him recover. I hear Officer Uzumaki has a whole series of activities planned. He is on deck to bring you meals your first week home."

Kakashi grimaced under his mask. "Doctor, any chance you can do me a favor?"

The doctor raised her eyebrows. "I can try."

"Can you make sure that my discharge orders state I am not to have ramen more than three times a week?"

The doctor smiled. "I'll see what I can do." She looked down to the device clipped to her coat as it chirped at her. "Dr. Haruno," she said professionally, holding down the button to speak.

"Dr. Haruno, please come to the nurses station," said a kindly voice Kakashi recognized as belonging to the nurse on duty. "We have a question about the patient in room 152."

"I'll be right there," she said. "Duty calls," she gave an apologetic smile to the two officers and their Captain. "Good to see you, Captain, Officers," she nodded to them. "I'll be back by to check on you, Captain Kakashi; that thing about an apple keeping the doctor away is just an old wives tale, so eat up," she winked.

"Thanks, Dr. Haruno," Tenten smiled warmly. "You have been really great."

"Sakura," she said kindly, putting a hand lightly on Tenten's arm. She had seen her face the night that Kakashi had been attacked. Growing up as a cop's kid, she knew the terror of possibly losing someone you loved dearly, and had seen it clearly on the face of the woman in front of her. This captain was someone very special to this officer – to many of his officers it seemed. "And don't worry," she smiled. "I'll keep an eye on the Captain for you." With that she moved quickly down the hall to the nurse's station.

"Guess I'd better go," Tenten turned to the Captain. "Get some rest, and don't give anyone any trouble," she instructed.

"Yes, ma'am," Kakashi saluted with his good hand.

"You got this, Lee?" she asked.

"I'm on it, Tenten," Lee smiled brightly. "You can count on me!"

With that, Tenten left to go to her meeting with Uchiha and Kakashi leaned back to get some rest. Lee didn't mind; he knew that the Captain would be awake long enough to say goodbye to Tenten and then promptly go back to sleep. He excused himself when Nurse Uzuki came in, saying he'd give the patient privacy.

When the door closed, Kakashi smiled at the pretty nurse. "Good to see you, Yūgao," he smiled. "Sorry I didn't recognize you before; I've been a bit out of it."

"Not a problem," she said, helping him adjust the pillows behind him to better sit up. "Uchiha sends his regards. How do you feel?"

"Beat to hell, but lucky," he chuckled. "I thought I left these kinds of injuries behind when I left the military," he said dryly. "Nice of Itachi to send such an experienced medic to help out – or VA nurse is it?" he asked with the quirk of an eyebrow. "Good cover."

"Uchiha wanted to make sure one of us was on hand," she shrugged. Yūgao had been in the military with Kakashi, and had been happy to take the assignment looking after him. As a field medic, she could easily work as a nurse to this end, and only Dr. Tsunade knew she wasn't from the VA.

"He also said to tell you and Ibiki that the training will be postponed until you are out of the hospital. He doesn't want to take Sai or Tenten out of rotation until you are home. In fact," she continued, fishing in her pocket for her buzzing phone, "he changed the training ground from Suna back to here, so that no officers will have to be abroad during the investigation.

Kakashi rested his arms behind his head. "Always liked Itachi," he said amiably. "He thinks ahead."

"You have no idea," Yūgao said wryly, checking her phone. "I have ten more minutes before I have to get back to the floor," she stuffed the device back in her pocket. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm alright," he said, stifling a yawn. "Just worn out."

They chatted about this and that, catching up for nine minutes and thirty-eight seconds. By nine minutes and thirty-nine seconds, Kakashi was drifting off. Yūgao helped him lay back and turned the lights down. "Get some rest, Captain," she instructed with a fond smile. "It was good to see you."

Kakashi slept until Guy came to relieve Lee after the department meeting.

They had been sitting and chatting idly when an older nurse poked her head in. "You have a visitor, Captain," she said kindly. She stepped back, and a tall, lithe woman with long, dark hair stepped in demurely, her sweeping winter coat wrapped tightly around her. Guy immediately sprang from his chair, and insisted that she sit.

"So glad that Kakashi is getting visitors, still!" he said, brightly. "How do you know the Captain?"

Kakashi looked from the woman to Guy, glad that the mask they were making him wear to prevent flu or cold from complicating his recovery hid his expression.

"I can't stay long," she bowed her head gently, her voice demurely quiet. "Would you mind if I spoke with the Captain alone?"

"Not at all!" Guy's voice was booming. "I will take a brisk walk, if that is alright with you, Kakashi.

"Go on," he urged Guy. When the man left, the visitor crossed one long, lean leg over the other and sat back in her chair.

Somehow, Kakashi knew the uneventful part of his morning was now done. "It's been a long time," he offered.

"Quite," she replied. "We heard about what happened."

Kakashi used his good arm to push himself up into a better seated position. "I got lucky," he said. "How is Mr. Momochi?" he asked.

"Fine," the smile was clear in the voice, "for a dead man."

Kakashi didn't think this was an odd statement at all. In fact, he smiled behind his mask. "And what is the corpse up to these days?"

"Right now, he is curious to see if this little trouble of yours is actually related to some old trouble of ours," she placed her folded hands in her lap. "And perhaps, again, to some mutually old trouble."

Kakashi watched her closely. "Oh?"

"Has Captain Nara spoken with you yet?"

"Nara?" Kakashi's expression was unreadable behind the paper mask. He checked the clock; it was about 11:45. "I don't normally hear from him before noon. Yesterday was the first day I was more conscious than unconscious," he added. "It is Friday, isn't it?" At the quiet bob of the dark head, he continued. "I came in late Tuesday night, was out most of Wednesday, and awake half of yesterday. He covered his masked face as he yawned. "I'm still not up to par just yet."

"Unsurprising," the gentle smile accompanied the flicked gaze to the IV poles, and his multiple bound injuries.

"I guess," he scratched his neck. "I just don't care for being unconscious. Luckily I have people watching out for me."

"You are alone with me," she said quietly.

"True," he nodded. "But if you wanted to do me harm, you wouldn't have come in as you did. In fact, I'd probably be dead already, isn't that so, Haku?"

A slow, beautiful smile tugged at the painted lips. "When I appear like this," she gestured to herself, "I am Yuki. Not many people know me as Haku anymore."

Kakashi took in the figure before him. He met Haku many years ago as Momochi Zabuza's apprentice and bodyguard. He never questioned their relationship, or how in the later years of their civilian cover, Haku took the guise of a woman – Madam Yuki, to be precise - and ran one of the most exclusive spa/hot springs in all of Konoha.

The Captain never ceased to be amazed at the eclectic allies he had made over the years, but ex-assassin and former mercenary Momochi Zabuza had to be one of the most unlikely of all.

The Land of Water was historically politically unstable, creating a breeding ground for crime syndicates, gangs, mercenaries, and assassins. Haku had been deadlier at 15 than most fully trained military operatives, and twice as cunning. Zabuza was essentially in protective custody after his "death" over a decade ago, making Haku his eyes and ears to the outside world. Zabuza had given up his freedom and cooperated with the KPD and military on the condition that Haku be protected from any and all charges. As Haku had been a minor at the time and had not struck against any citizen of the Leaf, this was granted.

Kakashi knew, however, that the short leash placed on Haku's movements could be slipped at any time, should he wish to slip it. It was his loyalty to Zabuza that kept him in place and in check.

"So tell me, Yuki," he folded his hands in his lap. "More about why you are here."

"Normally Zabuza is only comfortable liaising with the KPD if you are the point of contact. However," she (Kakashi decided to think of her as 'she' as long as 'she' was 'Yuki,') continued, "I was given notice that a request for information was going to be coming our way from Captain Nara per Mount Myōboku Productions, re; your shooting. Once he was aware that was the case, he released me to cooperate with any investigations."

Kakashi's eye widened slightly at this. This was not expected, but he knew first hand that Haku/Yuki was a valuable ally.

"That is very generous. Why did they think that you would have information on my shooting?"

Yuki sat back in her seat. "I have been monitoring the gang activity in Konoha for quite some time; ever since we arrived, actually."

Kakashi scratched at his neck idly. "Still from then, huh?" he asked, his expression deceptively uninterested. Zabuza had never been completely forthcoming about what had brought him to Konoha in the first place, and Kakashi was certain that they wouldn't know his true motives until Zabuza was good and ready to reveal them. "That is quite some time."

"It turns out," Yuki removed an invisible fleck of something from her long, black coat and flicked it to the ground. "Mount Myōboku Productions and I have had some similar interests recently, and were corroborating."

"Zabuza had been working with Jiraiya's network?"

"No," She folded her hands again. "While Zabuza was aware of my actions, this was an interest of mine, not his."

Kakashi did well to keep his eyebrows from rocketing into his hairline. He couldn't help but see the young man Haku under the perfect makeup and flawless illusion – the boy that had almost lost his life protecting Zabuza. He borrowed a phrase from his interim Captain. "Hn."

Yuki turned her arm and looked at the watch on the inside of her wrist. "I believe I have to make a visit to see your Captain Nara," she said, rising. "I wanted to speak with you and report back to Zabuza on your condition. We have both been concerned for you."

Kakashi gave a polite nod of his head. "Thank you, both."

Yuri seemed to be thinking of something, and noted the book by his bed stand. "Looks like you got an advanced copy," she said.

Not quite sure what she meant, he turned to look to where she was staring. "Oh, that," he scratched the back of his head with a smile, "Well you see-"

"I look forward to hearing the story of how that book got here," she interrupted with a gleam in her eye that Kakashi didn't quite trust.

"I-I'm sorry?" he asked, befuddled.

"Did you know," she pulled leather gloves from her pockets, "That I used to coach privately?"

"I…what?" Kakashi was now completely lost.

"Mm," Yuki nodded, pulling the gloves onto graceful, well-kept hands. "For years. Only if an athlete took my particular interest, mind you. He or she had to have a combination of outstanding talent, and an exceptional work ethic."

Kakashi was certain he was missing a critical connection somewhere between his book and Yuki coaching.

"Oh?" he asked, lamely. "What sport?"

She turned to go to the door before looking over her shoulder with a hint of an impish smile on her staid features. "Swimming."

He arched an eyebrow, still not seeing the pertinence of the remark.

"Be well, Captain," she said airily and she swept out of the room.

Kakashi could feel the gears in his head turning rustily as he processed the odd end to their conversation. The few seconds it took him to arrive at a conclusion were too many to call her back to explain. He grimaced. He suspected this was going to be right up there in the "hell of an explanation" category.

Guy walked back in. "Visitor gone so soon?" he asked, surprised. "She must have been in a hurry. Ah well, that means we can get back to our competition," his smile gleamed.

Kakashi felt the familiar throbbing pain in his head. The sooner he could get out of here the better!

* * *

Sanshō was fiddling with her keys as Lee stood behind her with an armload of bags.

"Thank you so much, Lee," she pulled her scarf around her more tightly. "I can't get a hold of Karashi and I needed to get to the pharmacy before it closed. It was so kind of you to add on a trip to the market for me."

"It's no trouble," he smiled kindly. "I am glad to see you are feeling better than you were a few days ago," he added, somehow managing to shift his armload so he could hold the door open for the small, older woman.

"Can't be unhealthy if you eat our curry," she adjusted her glasses and smiled, the crow's feet around her eyes crinkling merrily. "One more batch and I'll be good as new."

Lee's eyes went wide as he inhaled the air in the apartment. "Is that what I smell right now?" he asked, excited.

"Sure is," she beamed. "Karashi checked the recipe early this morning for me – before he went to work." Her forehead wrinkled in worry. "Not like him not to take my call, and it didn't look like the restaurant was even open when we drove by. I hope everything is alright."

Lee put the bags down on the table and promptly began to unload and shelve the groceries.

"I'm sure he is fine," Lee offered. He knew Kiba had delivered Karashi to Sai and Ibiki; his fellow "gang" members so that they could get more information from him. Lee would normally have worried for any person left alone with Ibiki (because Sai wasn't likely to intervene), but they were being closely monitored. Karashi would not be difficult for Ibiki to interrogate; Karashi probably wouldn't even know there was an interrogation. Shikamaru had called to speak with Lee after Tenten had gone to lie down. He assured Lee that this was to protect Karashi. He had no resistance to pressure; he would be in more danger if it was discovered that he spoke with the police. Better he think that he is being questioned by another gang.

"A mother can't help but worry," she said softly, hanging her coat on the worn coat tree by the door. She replaced her shawl over her shoulders and went back to the kitchen, stepping up on her stool to stir the large metal pot. She and Lee both leaned over and inhaled the vapors deeply.

"Excellent as always!" he gave her a thumbs up and returned to putting the groceries away. He knew his way around the small, sparse apartment well. He cast an eye over the rooms, looking for any chores that he might do for Sanshō. He saw the small pile of laundry, and some dusting he could do. He genuinely cared about the widow and her son, and wanted very much to help them both. He and Tenten had spoken about it while they ate their lunch at her apartment.

_"He's not a bad person," Tenten had sighed, absently playing with the long plastic straw of her handled water cup. "He just has never had much backbone."_

_"True," Lee said sadly. "He is working very hard at the restaurant, though," he said hopefully. "I think his ideas for the festival are quite good."_

_"Yeah," Tenten smiled fondly. "But will he stick with it long enough to make them something more than ideas?" she asked. "He gets… discouraged, Lee."_

_"Then we must be there to encourage him!" Lee said with a smile. "We will show him that with hard work and good friends, anything is possible!"_

_Tenten gave a half-laugh. "From anyone other than you, Rock Lee, that would sound like a stupid kitten motivational poster. You are right, though," she smothered a yawn. "He is going to need us more than ever. At least if Kiba is playing gangster, we have another set of eyes on him. He won't let Karashi do anything too foolish…I hope," she muttered._

_Lee was quick to assure her. "Kiba has had this kind of assignment many times before. He won't take any unnecessary risks. Besides," he pointed out, "Karashi seems to be on the outskirts of all of this. With any luck we can get him un-involved as quickly as possible."_

_Tenten fiddled with the straw of her cup again. "I can spare some time in the day," she mused. "My shifts at the hospital are pretty uneventful, even if they are long. I can probably catch him for an early dinner. Are you still slated to take over the shifts between when I leave and when Guy gets there?"_

_"I am," Lee nodded. "My duties at the academy are light right now, and I am not needed at the meetings. I spend my mornings after you leave with Kakashi and then usually teach some classes at the YOUTH center. My time is flexible."_

_"Do we run this by Nara and Uchiha?" she asked._

_Lee seemed to consider this. "It is personal business as much as it is work related. I shall speak with Shikamaru."_

_Tenten began to clear their take-away lunch. "I just hope he is ok," she said, worrying her bottom lip._

_"He will be," Lee said firmly. "We'll make sure of it."_

Lee had meant every word of that promise. He met Karashi and Tenten around the same time when Guy started teaching classes at the rec center in Tenten's old neighborhood. When it had burned down, Guy had made sure the kids in the area could get to his YOUTH center until something was rebuilt for them.

"Umgph!" Sanshō grunted as she shifted one of the heavy pots to better sit on the burner. Lee snapped to attention and rushed over to help her his speed surprising her.

"Still faster than anyone I've ever seen," she chuckled. "Even as a young man, Lee – you were always impressively fast."

"Thank you," he blushed slightly at the compliment.

"Well, you earned it," she continued removing the lid from the giant pot and beginning to stir with the spoon that must have been half of her height. "I've never seen a boy work as hard as you did." She churned the simmering, viscous, pungent concoction using both arms and most of her body. "I can still remember when you first came to the old community center – how old were you then?"

Lee reached over and kindly began stirring for Sanshō while he thought.

"I was already a long-time student at Guy's dojo when he started the martial arts program at the old rec center. I was probably… 11 at the time?"

"So long ago," Sanshō sighed. "Of course Guy had been teaching at that old center for years by then. Shame that particular program didn't last much more than a year before the old center burned down."

"I remember that," Lee said sadly. "It was a loss to the community."

Sanshō bobbed her graying head. "It was. That was the last in a rash of fires that happened in that neighborhood. They always blamed old buildings and people with kerosene heaters or gas leaks. The very worst one took down an entire apartment building and quite a few lives. They never had an accurate count of how many people were living there; lots of refugees. All of the records went up in flames with the building; it was all over the papers."

Lee stirred the pot as he frowned. "I don't remember that; when did that happen?"

"Oh," Sanshō sighed, thinking, "you might have been, let's see… five or six at the time?" she adjusted her glasses and smooshed up her face trying to remember. "That seems about right. There were lots of people displaced after that. The old rec center opened up to house some of the families, and the enrollment in their programs skyrocketed. Now that I think about it, I think that is when Guy first started with the programs down there."

Lee thought about this. He had always gone to Guy's YOUTH! Center and the dojo in the neighborhood near the police station. He vaguely remembered that Guy mentioned other classes he taught elsewhere, but he didn't recall any specifics.

"That is where we met Tenten," Sanshō continued. "She used to spend all of her free time there as a child. She was usually in the water. I don't know if Karashi would have ever learned to swim if it hadn't been for her."

"Really?" Lee asked, his thick eyebrows lifted in astonishment. "I thought we all met in Guy's taijutsu class."

"Oh heavens, no" Sanshō chuckled. "I think it was the summer after that big apartment fire. Tenten was an orphan, and Guy had her helping with the swimming classes at the rec center. She was very comfortable in the water, and it helped some of the timid kids to be with her. Karashi certainly appreciated her help."

"So this is when we would have been five or six?"

Sanshō paused and stepped down off of her stool and went over to a worn bookshelf bowed by the years and the weight of memories hoarded on its shelves. She picked out a large album and brought it back over to Lee.

He watched over his shoulder while she quietly flipped through the pages, her worn hands gentle on the brittle edges. She pointed to a picture of two kids playing in a pool; one was a young Karashi, so the other must have been-

"Tenten!" Lee said with a smile. "I'd know that face anywhere!"

"She was like a little fish," Sanshō smiled fondly. "Fearless, too – she would march right up to that high dive and jump into the water time and time again." She turned the pages and Lee watched Karashi's childhood memories spill from the page, snapshot after snapshot. Karashi still appeared to be the quiet timid boy to Tenten's laughing, fearless personality.

"He was bullied, you know," Sanshō said sadly.

"Why?" Lee frowned.

"We weren't originally from Konoha, we didn't have much money, he had no father, he was too nice – any number of reasons," she sighed. "I had hoped the class with you and Guy would help him, and I suppose it did in a way. Unfortunately, I needed his help at the restaurant whenever he wasn't in school, and he never really got the hang of any sport. It just isn't much for a teenager to brag about when they can cook better than most adults." She smiled and pointed to a picture of Lee and Tenten and Karashi arm in arm and smiling at the camera. "At least he had you two," she said affectionately. "This is when you were 15."

Lee smiled at the picture. It was after one of his track meets where Karashi and Tenten had come to cheer him on. He was struck by how young they all looked – especially Tenten. He hadn't thought about it before, but her sports schedule kept her lean and boyish and looking younger than she was while they were growing up. He quickly turned back to the steaming pot of curry to mask his slight flush at seeing her attire earlier. He was fairly certain that neither of her old friends had ever seen her looking quite like _that_ before.

Sanshō looked at a few more pictures. "Ami has been around for a long time, too, you know," she said conversationally. "She is a year behind you three."

"I don't remember her," Lee said over his shoulder.

"You wouldn't," Sanshō half snorted. "She didn't have a mom and her father was a violent drunk that always had some scheme or another to get rich. He liked to bet money he didn't have; it wasn't easy for Ami. She stayed out of her house and with her friends as often as she could; she was in and out of school. Eventually she stopped going, got her GED, and went to beauty school."

Lee thought this might explain why she wanted approval from questionable men and her prickly temperament. "When did she start working for you?" he asked, trading places with Sanshō when she motioned to him.

"High School," she answered, dipping a small spoon into the curry and blowing on it. "She stayed on to put herself through beauty school. She also works as a nail tech at her friend's salon. She isn't bad at what she does, but she is cleverer than she lets on. She really helped us with straightening out the books when she came on board. She tracks our inventory, and I think she set up something for her friend's salon, too. I just hope she figures a few things out sooner rather than later."

"Like what?" Lee asked as she ladled some of her cooking into a small bowl for him to taste and setting it aside to cool.

"Ami wants to know she is good enough – that is something she and Karashi have in common. Ami only knows approval from mean drunks who treat her badly and ignore that she is smart. That is normal to her, and that is what she looks for. She thinks other kinds of love are weak. She doesn't trust people that are nice to her; she assumes they want something. Sad, isn't it Lee? She grew up in a world where compassion and kindness were only tricks. Sometimes I am surprised that she has stayed with us as long as she has."

Lee thought about this. Maybe when this whole nightmare with the gang was over and done, he and Tenten could speak with her. He cringed at the thought of having to eventually reveal that Kiba was not nearly the jerk she thought he was, and that he was a cop and friends with both he and Tenten. He suspected that Kiba being friends with Tenten would be the real sticking point. For some reason, Ami seemed particularly prickly to Tenten, even though he knew his friend had never done anything to earn that kind of treatment. Maybe it was as Sanshō said; she simply didn't know how to process kindness.

"I am worried that one day she is going to get way in over her head," Sanshō sighed. "She dates some pretty bad men; I'm worried that something bad will happen to her someday, and she'll finally scare out of this bad girl stage but that it will be too late."

"Why do you think she stays?" Lee questioned.

"I think she doesn't realize she likes my son," Sanshō said tapping the side of her nose with her finger. "Just the feeling I get. Why else would she dislike Tenten so much?"

Lee blinked, confused and Sanshō chuckled. "Karashi has liked Tenten since the day we first met her. He's only been serious about it for the last five years or so, but he's never been brave enough to ask her out. I don't think I've ever seen Tenten date anyone," she said before adding, "Have you?"

He shook his head. "Now that you mention it, no. In all the years I've known her, I've never seen her in a relationship."

"Is there anyone at the academy?" Sanshō pressed. "Anyone at all?"

Obviously Sanshō didn't know that Tenten's time at the academy was minimal and part of her cover, but now that he thought about it, while Tenten was friendly enough with all of the officers, he'd never once heard her express an interest in anyone. Karashi obviously cared for her; maybe it was something he should encourage her to consider.

"Not that I've ever heard," Lee said, flipping through the pictures in the album. "But you know Tenten," Lee added. "She is pretty private."

Sanshō handed Lee the small dose of cooled curry with a sigh. "She always was a bit of a loner. She didn't really have anyone, after all. Konoha is good to her orphans, but she still had a tough life."

Thinking back on his earlier conversation, Lee said, "But she has us now." His smile was genuine and Sanshō returned it.

"You are right, Lee," Sanshō nodded. "She does have us. That is why I worry about her. I worry that we are all she has."

"The Konoha Police Department is very close knit," Lee stirred the sample of curry with his spoon. "None of us is ever really alone. Some of our friends went on to serve in the military as well," Lee quickly added. "So there are friends there, too." He shoved a bite of curry in his mouth to head off what he was about to say.

He had started to say that Tenten was of particular interest to the military for her shooting skills. Uchiha Itachi had tried on more than one occasion to recruit her for their tactical teams, but the most he managed to get was her as an assistant for Guy's weapons clinic for hand-to-hand combat. She was the KPD's Rifle Officer, which was what civilians called a sniper. She would be the first to say that her job was nothing like what people thought it was, but she didn't discuss that work often.

"Did you know that Captain that was shot a couple of days ago?" Sanshō asked conversationally, checking on the second large pot of curry.

Lee bobbed his head several times. "Captain Kakashi and Guy are old friends."

"I can't believe what happened," she scoffed. "It was on the news yesterday; to gun down an officer on the stairs of the police department? Shameful!" She banged the lid on the pot in her agitation. "I hope they find the people responsible and string them up," she narrowed her eyes. "We don't need people like that running lose."

"R-Right," Lee gulped, a bit taken aback by her sudden tirade, as well as a bit choked up from the curry.

"Oh, here!" Sanshō jumped off of her stool and got Lee a large glass of water that he drained quickly. "Sorry about that – I forgot to warn you. It is stronger than usual."

"No," Lee gasped, eyes watering. "It is fine. Excellent even. I can feel my sinuses opening up and my pulse quickening!" He coughed a couple of times. "There is a young man I met at the hospital; he is on the same floor as Captain Kakashi." At Sanshō's questioning expression, he added, "I went with Guy to visit." She nodded and he continued. "This young man has been weak and in wheelchairs his whole life. They don't know what is wrong with him. I told him that when they release him from the hospital, he should come eat at the restaurant."

"He should!" Sanshō enthused. "We could get him right on his feet!"

Lee nodded solemnly. "That is just what I told him. It is a shame we can't bring him some in the hospital."

"And why can't we?" Sanshō huffed. "He is in the private wing, isn't he? They aren't nearly as strict there. I am sure he can have an outside meal if he likes. Come on," she straightened up. "It will do me good to get out of this apartment for a little while. Can you reach that?" she pointed to the cheerful print of an insulated tote.

Swept up by her enthusiasm, Lee took down the bag and dug out the large divided Tupperware inside. He recognized something in the return of her spirit; she was so worried about Karashi and the restaurant, and she felt helpless. Here was something she could do, and he wasn't going to stop her. He checked the clock. Tenten would be at the hospital later; it would probably be good to avoid having Sanshō see her. He helped to pile the rice and curry into the different containers and stack them in the bag for delivery.

"What is this boy's name, Lee?" Sanshō asked.

"Ranmaru," Lee answered, hoisting the bags up on his shoulder and holding open the door for her.

"Unusual name," she paused. "I am certain I've heard it somewhere before. Oh well, it will come to me. Let's go, Lee!" she said enthusiastically hopping down from her little stool. "It's time to take our Curry on the road!"

With that, they left happily to go back to the hospital. Neither one of them saw the figure in the hall that moved quickly behind them to enter the small apartment and noiselessly comb the small interior. No one saw the figure leave and re-lock the door, their pockets heavier than when they had entered. The thief was nothing more than a silent shadow in the worn and faded halls that had seen far too much to mind one more secret.

* * *

Temari stood and stretched from her chair. They were three hours behind Konoha, so she had been filtering data since around 8:00 AM their time. She usually had the morning intake; her or Gaara. Kankurō only did the morning shift if he hadn't gone to bed the night before. As it was, he just happened to be online and working on a project for Jiraiya when this all started. He had come in with a Bloody Mary which was an instant give-away that he was nursing a hangover. This of course meant that Temari mercilessly dropped things near him and made loud noises whenever she was able.

Of course, now that they were all on this little Konoha problem, the mood in the room had changed. She scanned texts and photos and news articles and audio files. Since Kankurō clearly couldn't NOT be a jerk about things, she had taken over monitoring the audio from the officers. She decided she liked this Officer Tenten. Her research had brought up her records for marksmanship and archery contests – an impressive set of accomplishments.

She smirked to herself.

No way was this just a part-time academy and out-reach teacher.

Mr. Gamariki had already forwarded them information on her and several of the officers. As she listened to the recording of Officer Inuzuka, she smirked even wider. "This guy could give you a run for your money in the 'how to act like a jerk face' category, Kankurō," she drawled. "I hope for humanity's sake it's just a good act."

Kankurō snorted at his sister's remarks as he tinkered with some circuitry. Despite what might appear to be a bickersome nature, the siblings were fiercely loyal to one another and worked with an uncanny synchronicity.

"You'd better hope for that Nara's sake that it's just a good act. Did you listen to that conversation?"

"Yes, and I listened to the _whole_ conversation," she retorted. "You really just love to stir shit, don't you?"

"Yeah," he grinned without looking up from the wire joint he was soldering. "I kinda do."

Kankurō," Gaara warned. "You know perfectly well there was nothing of concern in that conversation. Jiraiya will not be pleased if things are made difficult for this Officer Tenten. Don't provoke the officers."

"Yeah, yeah" he rolled his eyes before muttering "Killjoy."

He was quiet for a moment longer before offering "A bit strange, though, isn't it?" he asked.

"What part?" Temari asked sinking back into her seat to sort through another bank of texts.

"We actually started working on this data – at least part of it – before this Captain Kakashi was shot." He looked up from his work. "He requested that report to be sent to Mr. Gamariki early this morning – or late last night, rather. I got it to him before I went out. How long he has been checking into the gangs in that area?"

Temari narrowed her eyes at her screen. That was odd. "Come to think of it," she said slowly, "most of that gang information came from Haku's intelligence efforts. He has been in contact with Jiraiya a lot lately and that was well before all of this came down the pike."

Gaara crossed his arms. "The information on the officers we received today was also compiled before the shooting," he said slowly. "Mr. Gamariki said that Officer Tenten had somehow impressed Jiraiya," Gaara mused. "I wonder under what circumstances?"

"Thinking out loud, are we, children?"

The three siblings looked to each of their respective monitors to see Mr. Gamariki arching an eyebrow at them. They were all on silent to Konoha, but not to Mr. Gamariki.

Oops.

Kankurō ducked his head back to his work, Temari smothered a sigh, and Gaara approached his monitor.

"Forgive me, Mr. Gamariki," he bowed his head, "but I can't help but think there is perhaps an additional agenda at work here. We can better serve Jiraiya's motives if we know better what is going on."

Mr. Gamariki folded his long, thin hands in front of him. "Jira-chan has many reasons for doing what he does, children. Following his instructions should be more than enough for right now. And of course there is a different agenda at work," he shrugged gracefully. "There are always multiple agendas at work in intelligence work."

"Well now I feel better," Kankurō muttered as the smoke from the solder curled up from the circuit board. "I'm tapping out for a bit." He put on his noise cancelling headphones and zoned out to his work.

"This Karashi just got picked up by Officer Morino and Sai," Temari said, adjusting her headset. "I'm going to listen in real time." With that, she turned her back to her brothers.

While his siblings settled in to work, Gaara sat thoughtfully at his console. Systematically, he began reviewing requests for information and tracing back some of the data he was seeing. He got back to his assigned task of cross referencing the backgrounds of a list of files given to him not an hour ago. "Mr. Gamariki," Gaara said, looking to the man on his screen "I have three files to ask you about."

"Oh?" he asked, looking over his tea cup.

"This one is almost completely redacted until the individual is about twenty," he dragged the file to a shared folder, "The second file is suspicious because it appears to be a perfectly normal file with several coded entries. As for the third, other than a line or two, the background check on this one doesn't start until the subject is twelve. It isn't redacted – there just isn't any information. There aren't names on these files," he continued, "just ID numbers. They look like they are military files. Both of them were forwarded to me this morning and are encrypted."

"The first one," Mr. Gamariki said, stirring his tea, "Belongs to Sai. Don't worry about the redaction; Sai is military, and this file isn't important for this case."

"And the second?" Gaara asked.

"Ah, that one," Mr. Gamariki smiled into his tea. "Do you know who Namikaze Minato was?"

Gaara thought about that. "Chief of police in Konoha, wasn't he? Something like that? I seem to remember seeing his name in older files."

Mr. Gamariki knew that "seem to remember" meant "remember." Gaara had an incredible memory for information.

"He was." Mr. Gamariki replied. "That file is a whole conversation for another day, but the highlights are that it is about his son, and Jiraiya has never bought the theory that Minato's death was accidental in the line of duty."

Gaara mentally flagged the file, curious about it. "And the last one?"

"That is a trickier question," Mr. Gamariki said, pursing his lips as he thought.

"Dissociative amnesia," Gaara muttered as he read from the file. "Precluded from formally enlisting in the military, no birth record, no legal name on file…" Gaara trailed off as he read more. "Huge gaps in the personal history. This individual appears to have no recollection of their life before they were five years old. It is presumed that they were in Konoha but there is no record of them in the orphan system until they are twelve. How is that possible?" he frowned. "Why is there an extensive military file on someone that can't be in the military?"

Mr. Gamariki sat back in his chair, his long fingers wrapped around his steaming mug. "And that is one of the latest mysteries," he said finally. "It turns out," he ran a finger along the top of his mug absently, "that we aren't the only ones interested in the officers of the KPD. That file is one of our most recent and interesting finds."

Gaara scrolled through the data. "Who is this person?"

Mr. Gamariki arched an eyebrow. "I'm surprised at you, Gaara," he said sipping his tea and then putting his mug down. "You haven't figured it out?"

Gaara looked over the data. No physical description, which was strange. No name, no gender, no birthday on file. He did the math to guestimate the age of the person. This would roughly be a contemporary. Parents unknown. No siblings known. That narrowed it down further. That actually narrowed it down significantly. Gaara arched a non-existant eyebrow.

"Officer Tenten."

"Precisely," Mr. Gamariki put his mug down. "So let's you and I put our heads together and see what we can make of this information, shall we?"

Gaara gave a sharp nod and an affirmative "Ah." He pulled his headset on and he began filtering through the deluge of information, communicating directly with Mr. Gamariki. Despite everything, he glanced around the room at his siblings, each immersed in their investigations and smirked in anticipation.

Kazekage was at its best when the three of them were on the job. Whether it was because it made up for their lack of a childhood, or because they had learned to rely on each other, he wasn't sure, but there was nothing Gaara liked better than a good hunt. With a faint smile still on his lips, he got to work. The more impossible the case, the better.

This? This was about as good as it could get.

* * *

Naruto was slurping down a bowl of ramen while he checked messages. "How is Captain Kakashi?"

He looked up to see Ayame holding menus in her arms for the customers that hadn't memorized the offerings like he had.

He swiped a napkin across his mouth. "Doing much better, thanks for asking," he smiled. "We'll have him back and eating Ichiraku's in no time!"

Ayame smiled. "Glad to hear it," she automatically pulled a couple of napkins out of her apron and put them on the table. "When it's time for him to go home, Dad and I will send some meals over. Tell him not to worry; they won't all be ramen."

"What would be wrong with that?" Naruto asked, eyes wide. Of course, he did eat there pretty much every day. Sometimes twice a day. And multiple portions.

Ayame just gave a smile and a little shrug.

"Hey, Ayame," Naruto stopped her from walking away with fingertips to the crook of her folded arm. "I just want to thank you for everything you did for the Captain. That really meant a lot, you know? If he hadn't had donors, we wouldn't be thinking about what to bring him to eat, if you know what I mean. It – well, it was just really incredible. Thank you."

Ayame blushed. "Happy to do it," she replied.

"Your arm ok?" Naruto asked, holding out his hand.

She nodded, hugging the menus to her. "Yeah – it's fine."

He raised blonde eyebrows to her and held his hand out closer. "Tenten isn't here, and she wants me to report in. Let's see."

Ayame reluctantly held out her arm, which Naruto took gently, thumbing over the fading bruising with one hand while turning the arm left and right with the other.

"Looks a whole lot better," he smiled, patting her arm before letting it go.

"I heal pretty fast," she took her arm back quickly.

"You and the Captain," Naruto grinned. "Me, too, come to think of it. Maybe it's the ramen!"

Ayame couldn't help but smile. "Maybe, Naruto." A customer entered the restaurant, and she gave a small wave to indicate she was coming over. "See you later," she said before heading to the customers with a bright smile. Naruto watched her, thinking again how lucky the KPD family really was – and how extensive.

That reminded him – he was going to be on the first food rotation for Kakashi – he had to plan what he would order! At the thought of that amount of ramen, his eyes glazed over. So. Many. Choices.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice snapped him out of his daydream. He looked up to see Sasuke standing at the edge of his table.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at his partner. "Haven't seen you out lately, man. What's up?"

"I'm just getting back from visiting Kakashi," he said, checking his watch. He was a little old fashioned that way. He still wore a watch, he appreciated good tea, and he didn't eat 50 bowls of ramen a week. "I've got to catch up with Captain Nara later, but I am heading home first. You should do the same."

"Home?" Naruto asked, pouting. "Why would I go home? I went home after the meeting and slept off last night. Look, my shiner has already started to fade. I have to report in to the station pretty soon."

"Change in plans," Sasuke said, meeting the bright blue gaze with his piercing ebony one. Naruto immediately keyed in to what he was being told.

"Alright, Teme," he grumbled, fishing money out of his wallet and putting it on the table with an apologetic wave to Ayame. She nodded in understanding; members of the KPD never knew when they'd have to take leave of their dinners.

Naruto followed Sasuke to the parking lot, noticing the understated, sleek, low profile, and fast black car next to his bright orange Ford Raptor. It was a pretty telling illustration of their personalities, really. Giant loud-ass truck vs. quiet stealth sedan. Naruto was pretty sure he was winning in the powerhouse end of the badass category at least.

"So what are my plans now?" he asked.

"Kiba is on an infiltration mission. He might need backup."

"Infiltration?" Naruto's expression was disbelieving. "Me?"

"It is at a bar," Sasuke explained. "We might have you go early and just be another man on the ground in case things go south."

"Man, Tsume will hate to miss out on this," Naruto sighed. "Alright, I can do that. Are you in on this?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm on tactical tonight. Since there is chance that some of the action might eventually be in a boardroom setting, Captain Nara is holding me back for that assignment."

"No wonder," Naruto snorted. "No one quite does stick-up-the-ass like an Uchiha. Well, that's not true," he said apologetically. "Itachi isn't nearly as bad."

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke said flatly. "Go home and wait for more orders."

"Need a favor," he said. At Sasuke's arched eyebrows, Naruto continued. "You have to go check on Tenten."

"Why."

Flat statement. Not a question.

"Kiba and I have a deal," Naruto shrugged. "We fill in for each other's partners when we can, and check in on them when we can't. Since I can't check in on Tenten, I want you to do it."

"Chōji is on at the hospital tonight," Sasuke said. "He'll report in."

"And if Chōji gets called in, Mr. Tactical Support?"

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll go and check in on Tenten."

"Good," Naruto smiled. "Get some rest, Uchiha – you look like shit."

"Says the man with whiskers scratched into his face and a black eye," Sasuke grumbled.

"I don't know," Naruto swung up into his big truck, and checked his reflection in his rearview. "I think the look suits me. Ja, ne!"

With that, he rumbled out of the parking lot, leaving Sasuke to shake his head as he always did. Naruto grinned to himself. They were complete opposites. They were partners. They were best friends. There was no one Naruto was quicker to defend or annoy than Sasuke, and it was just the way he liked it.

Sasuke watched as the license plate RMNLVR rolled out of view. He checked the time again. With any luck, he wouldn't be needed at the hospital because Chōji wouldn't be needed at the bar. Come to think of it, it would be better for everyone if Naruto wasn't actually _needed_ at the bar. Kiba and Naruto in a bar brawl, well. He only had to look at the last two nights of rumbles to know what that meant. He toyed with the idea of just letting Tsume go in and shut them all down. If the operation didn't have so many delicate angles, he'd be the first to green light that show. Oh well. Better do this one by the numbers, and see what they could turn up. As he pulled away and headed toward his apartment, he couldn't help but smirk. Between Kiba, Naruto, and the other agents he knew were going to be on the ground tonight, this gang had no idea what they were in for. It was enough to elicit a rare and genuine smile from the serious Uchiha.

They were no match for Konoha's finest, and he couldn't wait for them to find that out.

* * *

_Thank you for reading. I will update with the next chapter next week. Coming next time; Captain Nara starts unraveling the mystery with the help of some unexpected sources. _

_Also: I need good name for a spa; any ideas?_

_Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have reached out via message or review or carrier pigeon to offer feedback and support. Life on this end of the keyboard has been hectic to say the least, but I love the interaction we have via these stories. It is easy for time to slip by – I might secretly be a time lord. I'll get back to you on that. _

_Cheers!_


	8. Chapter 8: Counting Cards

_A/N: See previous disclaimers. If I ever own Naruto, or come up with something awesome like Naruto, you'll be the first to know. _

_Have a seat and grab some snacks, friends, this is an exposition heavy chapter. Special thanks to _**animequeen100**_ for reading over this for me because by the 10th pass, I was cross-eyed. Wrangling lost commas and quotation marks is hard work. They are sneaky suckers._

_If you haven't checked out her work go right now and do so! Seriously. _To Love and Love Again_ is one of my favorites, and she is writing the prequel _Wake Me Up Inside_. _

_Thanks for sticking with me, readers! _

* * *

**Double or Nothing**

**Counting Cards**

_Card counting - a casino card game strategy used primarily in the blackjack family of casino games to determine whether the next hand is likely to give a probable advantage to the player or to the dealer._

Captain Nara was sitting in his son's office, having sent Shikamaru home to rest so he could better provide tactical support this evening. Uchiha was meeting with Kakashi and bringing him up to speed. Idly, he checked the clock: 3:00 PM. He checked the monitor again, and listened to the conversation between Ibiki, Sai, and Karashi. Their devices both recorded and relayed in real time; Captain Nara had pulled a few strings in the time Kiba was gone, and borrowed some extreme equipment from the military base.

Konoha had originally been founded as a military outpost, and the city that was Konoha had grown up around it. The police department had actually been a part of the military until about 100 years ago, when the size of the city and the formal declaration of it as capitol of the Land of Fire required the entity to be separated. The two forces worked very closely together, though, and many of the officers served in the military and then "retired" to the police force, while many young officers sometimes went on to serve in the military and rise through the ranks. Uchiha Itachi had been one that had gone onto the Military, while Captain Nara had returned to the Police force. He was, however, still a military strategist, and had often been called on to assist in difficult tasks. Therefore, when he contacted the Intelligence Department at the base, they had sent over the equipment he needed in little to no time.

He keyed into the conversation, steepled his fingers and closed his eyes. Ibiki was wrapping it up. From the sound of it, he and Sai had convinced Karashi that they were from another organization, and that it would be in his best interest to cooperate. When he was asked if the cops were involved, the young man had assured them they weren't.

_"What about those customers of yours," Ibiki's tone was dark. "They have 'cop' written all over them."_

_"Teachers," Karashi said, his voice tight. "They teach at the police academy but aren't regular duty; they aren't a problem."_

Like Kiba, Shikaku was not impressed by this young man, but he was glad that he did not reveal anything about Lee and Tenten.

As far as he could tell, Karashi was just far enough in the organization to help them infiltrate. Because the organization had so little structure, it didn't take much to get in. It did seem to take something to get to the boss, though. From the conversation, it sounded like it was an ongoing competition to access and impress this mysterious figure.

Shikaku suspected they would have Kiba or Sai infiltrate; probably Kiba – if Kiba impressed them enough. Karashi would help under the guise of proving his worth to the non-existent gang for which Kiba worked. Shikaku had another suspicion. He suspected that Kiba was a far better operator than any of the known Kurosuki members. He might be headhunted by whatever organization was trying to use the Kurosuki family. It was a dangerous proposition. Kiba was the right mix of smart, personable, and intuitive for this assignment, with just enough attitude to not shout "cop."

A knock on the door caused the Captain to look up.

"Obito," he smiled, and indicated Choji's chair. "Come in. Good to see you."

"Shikaku," he hung his coat on a peg on the wall and quickly sat down. "I came as soon as I was able."

"Thank you for coming," he glanced back to the computer as it registered some new deluge of information with an alert tone. "Ibiki is at work," he nodded to the computer, turning the volume down.

Obito grimaced. "Why would you want a live feed on that?"

Captain Nara waved the concern away. "It isn't his normal brand of interrogation. A friend of Rock Lee and Tenten is mixed up with this Kurosuki Family. He is barely even incidental to the organization, but he and a waitress at his restaurant had enough connections via their phones to let us tap into a goldmine of information. Ibiki doesn't need to do much to make this kid talk; he thinks he is speaking to a head of another local gang; being recruited even."

"Let me guess," Obito sighed. "He thinks he can walk away from the other gang with no repercussions, right?" At the look on Shikaku's face, Obito sighed again. "They never learn. If he is a friend to your officers, I hope for his sake that we can keep him safe."

"The Kurosuki Family isn't very well organized," Shikaku pulled up a chart on the extensive bank of monitors. "They don't have much in the way of a hierarchy, they aren't actively recruiting, and their influence isn't that expansive." He pointed to the chart with names and pictures that Mr. Gamariki and he had begun to patch together.

"What is worrying," Captain Nara leaned back in his seat, "Is that there appears to be an outside entity trying to infiltrate and possibly take over. We know that someone is taking advantage of the Boss' penchant for holding funerals by depositing victims into his territory. We just don't know who yet, or why."

"Is there any reason to target this family specifically?" Obito asked, studying the web of members, suspected members, and affiliates. "If they are so disorganized; or at least unorganized and not influential, are they just being used or is there something to be gained by eliminating them."

"We aren't sure," Shikaku explained. "We are doing more research into the head of the family, the profile of the victims, and the profile of the people that are infiltrating. It could just be a way to use them for wet work and then dispose of them, but even if that is true, we aren't sure as to the impetus behind the victims. There isn't much information available about the boss of the Family. We have a name, but not much information."

"I believe I can help with that."

The demure voice came from a figure that appeared in the doorway. There was no indication when she arrived, or how she had arrived; she was suddenly there in her floor-length winter coat, snow flecking her long, dark hair.

Shikaku stood, as did Obito. "Mr. Gamariki sent you, I presume?" he asked.

"He asked that I come to see you," she bowed her head. "I had to speak with Captain Kakashi and then check in on an old friend. I hope you will forgive the delay."

"Not at all," the elder Nara pulled a chair out. "Won't you sit down?"

She crossed and took the seat gracefully as Obito closed the door behind her. "Thank you, Captain Nara. Officer Uchiha, isn't it?" she looked to Obito. "Or rather, wasn't it, given your retirement? Mrs. Uchiha is one of our nicest clients."

"I thought you looked familiar," he replied with dawning realization. "Madam Yuki, isn't it? I don't believe I've seen you outside of the onsen when I drop Rin off for her acupuncture appointments."

Yuki bobbed her head with a small smile, inwardly grinning to herself. "I believe you are correct" she answered politely. "We are anxious for any help you can give us," Captain Nara motioned to the display of monitors behind him and the pictographic map of the gang as the currently knew it to be. He transferred the web of images to a large touch-screen behind him. "May I bring Suna back online?"

"By all means. Mr. Gamariki as well, if he is available. Would it be safe to presume you are also acting as the military liaison in this matter?"

Captain Nara gave an affirmative shake of the head. "I am only semi-retired from the military. I am still a part of their Strategic team, and given the possibility that this might actually be an international organization, we are keeping the lines of communication open."

The elemental nations were not large individually, so it was not unusual for crime related activities to take on an international status. As Konoha was also the capitol of the Land of Fire, any threat to Konoha had to also be considered a threat to the nation as a whole; this made cooperation between the local and national entities critical.

Another screen flicked on behind him, and Mr. Gamariki appeared as did Sabaku's symbol. "Madam Yuki," Mr. Gamariki perched his red cat's eye glasses on the end of his nose as he greeted her. "I am glad that you will be assisting in this matter. Perhaps you can fill in some of the gaps for us on the information end."

"Gladly; as soon as I give Captain Nara our terms."

"Terms?" Shikaku arched an eyebrow. "You are not here as one of Jiraiya's operatives, then?"

She pursed her lips as she considered this. "Not strictly, no," she finally said. "I am more of… an assistant for a private contractor. Which brings me to this," she fished a crisp white envelope out of the inside pocket of her beautiful coat and handed it to Captain Nara. He opened it and scanned the contents as she continued to speak. "Jiraiya and I have had some intersecting investigations lately. In light of what happened to Captain Kakashi, I have been released to assist. However, some of the information I have is…sensitive, and must be treated delicately."

"This states that no matter what information you share with us or is unearthed during the investigation, we agree not to press charges against Momochi Zabuza," Shikaku said slowly.

Mr. Gamariki's large eyes were made larger by the glasses on the end of his nose. "Only against Zabuza? Ha – Madam Yuki, are you sure about this?"

Yuki gave Mr. Gamariki a sharp look at his slip of the tongue. "These are our terms," she said firmly.

"Zabuza?" Obito's eyes went wide. "As in international-criminal-who-died-years-ago-Zabuza."

"The same," Nara smirked. "It seems he is rather active for a dead man." He turned and looked to the monitors. "Mr. Gamariki?"

The persnickety man sighed. He was being consulted by the Nara, and he could really only recommend one course of action. "I suggest accepting," he said. "The only reasons I can think of for such a condition to be set must mean that the roots of this problem must go back much longer than we initially thought, is that correct, Madam Yuki?"

"That is what we suspect," she affirmed. "Make no mistake; I will be the sole operative, but Zabuza has agreed to give any information he can." She shrugged delicately. "I have no idea what that might be in the course of this investigation. I will not jeopardize his freedom, such as it is, on mine or anyone else's behalf. I do, however, have a personal interest in this case, and will cooperate fully."

Captain Nara made the call.

"I accept your terms. Now. When you entered you mentioned you could give us more information on the head of the Kurosuki family," he crossed his arms and looked to her expectantly. "What can you tell us?"

Madam Yuki reached down to the understated leather satchel she had tucked under her arm. Obito had been married long enough to know that the bag cost more than he had made in a month when he was a cop. He had always counted himself lucky that his wife's tastes were simple and utilitarian. Apparently business was good for the Madam. She removed a leather folio, opened it and flicked on a wafer thin tablet and handed Captain Nara a USB flashdrive. "If you would be so kind as to plug this in so we can all work from the same file?"

He complied, and Mr. Gamariki chimed in with an "If you would, Sabaku?"

The mouse moved, controlled by the quietest of the members of Kazekage, and the USB device was scanned, tested, and the files loaded. Satisfied that the device was not installing any malware or allowing for any covert data migration, Sabaku opened the main file.

"You shall find, Mr. Gamariki and Sabaku, that there is already a database file that you can integrate with your programming. I used Omozukai's template."

They watched as data began streaming across the screen, and the database began to populate more members, more information, and more potential connections.

"This might take a moment," Madam Yuki said in her quiet mezzo voice. "While the database is updating, I shall tell you more about the head of the Kurosuki family. Sabaku, would you enable my tablet for this; the USB is also a Bluetooth for my tablet."

In a moment, the patterns she was tracing on her tablet were replicating on several of the monitors.

"This," she said, bringing up a picture, "is Raiga Kurosuki. He is originally from Kirigakure, and was once known as the Thunder of the Hidden Mist. He was part of the mercenary group known as the Seven Swords. In what I have been told were circumstances unrelated to this investigation, he left the organization and began his own cult-like gang in the Land of Rivers. He has no remaining ties or regard for his original organization or its members," she said pointedly.

Captain Nara read that correctly as "He has no ties to Zabuza nor is there any lost love between them." He looked at the image of the eccentric man, with the long, dark hair, the strange cloak, and the intense, unnerving dark blue-purple eyes. His face wasn't unattractive with its high cheekbones and fuller lips, but the eyes were the eyes of a quietly contained mad man.

"It appears," she continued, "somewhere along the way he developed a love for funerals."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Obito interrupted apologetically. "Is this some kind of ritual unique to him? Is this something left over from Seven Swords? What are we dealing with, here?"

"A fair question," she conceded. "The Land of Water is mostly an archipelago with a small portion of territory on the mainland. Each island of the archipelago is different, but the one common factor is that the area has been politically unstable for quite some time. It is only now beginning to unify and stabilize, as I am sure your military is only too aware. The general consensus is that after seeing so many of his family, friends, and fellow inhabitants of his island killed and never properly mourned, Raiga determined that the only happiness in a life was the reflection made by others at the time of death. He took it upon himself to begin mourning the dead. When that was not enough, he began 'helping'" she air quoted and her bracelets jangled on her pale wrists. "He found the almost dead, then the despairing, then just those he felt he could actively 'mourn.' He took over a mining encampment in the Land of Rivers and was reported to bury people alive for disobeying him."

"So in other words," the kabuki makeup icon flashed back on the screen, "Raiga is a _compassionate,_ psychotic, sick fuck. And here I was worrying that he was just a _regular_ old psychotic, sick fuck."

"Omozukai," Sabaku's voice warned sharply.

"Don't make me put you in time out, children," Mr. Gamariki sighed. "Please continue, Madam Yuki."

The large, expressive eyes were laughing at the exchange from the bank of monitors. "Omozukai has a point," she said with a small chuckle. "Raiga has never been mentally stable. I have never been quite sure why he relocated his 'family' to Konoha. It was thought that after the incidents at the mines that he needed to vanish for a while. Ironically, I have heard rumors that he has a sick member of his family that he may be trying to get treated here."

"Treated for what?" Obito asked.

"I am not sure," Yuki shrugged.

"Impending death by funeral?" Omozukai suggested.

"The waitress from Karashi's restaurant – Ami," Shikaku stroked his chin. "She told Kiba that there was a young man affiliated with the organization; Ranmaru. He is apparently wheelchair bound and the only person Raiga will not allow to attend the funerals."

"I need a score card, a flow chart, or a bingo sheet," Obito muttered. "This cast of characters is getting complicated."

"Kiba, you say?" Yuki asked with a hint of surprise.

"Officer Inuzuka," Captain Nara clarified. "I will gladly explain in more detail when you have finished; he did some reconnaissance work for us this afternoon."

"It is interesting," she seemed to be looking elsewhere in her mind, "that his name should be Kiba."

"Oh?" Captain Nara asked.

"The members of the Seven Swords," she began to explain. "They all had ceremonial weapons passed down through the years to the members. Raiga's weapon was actually two custom blades. Their name is 'Kiba.' Raiga is very superstitious in his own way. He hates anything that associates back to water, but he is fond of anything relating to thunder, lightning, or his weaponry."

"Then we might have to consult with Kiba's partner, Officer Tenten," Shikaku mused. "She made contact with a weapons master that did some work for the Kurosuki family."

"I thought Tenten was her first name," Obito interjected.

"It is," Captain Nara nodded. "She doesn't use her legal last name."

"Which is?" Obito asked, getting a headache from all of this information.

"Konoha."

That single word explained volumes. "Konoha" was the name given to orphans when they were legally made wards of the city. It was only given when there was no knowledge of the child's parents whatsoever. It used to be reserved solely for the children known to be from the Leaf, but the influx of residents and travelers and refugees made this an impossible practice. It was not unusual for an orphan to claim a legal name when they came of age; Obito was surprised she bothered to keep a name she clearly did not use.

"Tenten and Lee are our link to the civilian contacts," Shikaku continued. "But I am afraid I have gotten us off topic," he said apologetically. "Please; tell us more about Raiga after he came to Konoha."

"As I told Captain Kakashi, for various reasons, I keep tabs on the gang activity in this area as well as beyond, and am unsurprisingly interested in any activity that seems to originate from Kirigakure. Raiga disappeared for a time between leaving Katabami Kinzan mines in the Land of Rivers and later resurfacing in Konoha. His family is small, and they can be surprisingly hard to pin down. Raiga is far more interested in his funerals than his drug running business, and the family activity leans heavily toward extortion. He is not aggressive enough to track easily, and the family seems to act largely on his whims. There is little to no internal organization; unlike other gangs or syndicates where there are tiers, levels, and a way to move through the ranks, Raiga's group really operates like an extended family. Members that continually find favor are given more consideration than others. If the gang is being infiltrated – which I believe it is – then to be given any kind of recognition, the person wishing to advance would have to directly solicit Raiga's favor."

"And what better way to do that," Obito said darkly, "than to provide victims for funerals?"

"Precisely," Yuki tapped on her tablet. "The original victims – the ones I have identified or believe to have been killed by the Kurosuki family – were largely random. Members found someone to bring to Raiga, and he held his funeral. Not that long ago, the profile shifted. Suddenly the victims are clearly being left for Raiga to find, but he knows nothing about them. Someone is using Raiga to bury their dead, or, rather" she corrected grimly, "to kill the people they wish to bury."

Captain Nara sighed. It was exactly what he and Obito had been discussing earlier. "Do we have any idea who is using Raiga and his organization? If so, is this outside entity interested in simply eliminating the victims, or do they wish to gain something from taking out the Kurosuki family specifically?

Sabaku spoke up. "We are cross referencing the victims we think were left for Raiga to find any mutual activity. We already knew that some of them were wealthy civilians, but with a criminal past. So far the victims have criminal history in common, but I suppose that is not unusual for those that own companies that make enormous amounts of money.

"Could it be about money?" Obito asked.

"It could be," Yuki tilted her head to the side. "But mostly I think it is about power. Control. I think this is both a gang struggle – no, scratch that. I think this is a syndicate struggle and a business struggle."

Obito frowned. "No syndicate has ever been able to take root in Konoha; even the large gangs are not big by comparable city sizes."

"Exactly," she spread her hands. "Konoha is too well integrated and protected. As the capitol of Fire Country, the site of the largest military base in Fire Country, and home to the most prestigious police department in Fire County, Konoha isn't worth the trouble for most of the syndicates. They are never able to stay under the radar; they are too large; too conspicuous. What better way to establish a foothold in the city than to have a disposable gang eliminate some of the competition?"

Nara arched an eyebrow. "That doesn't explain how they intend to actually get established."

"The competition isn't all illegitimate," Mr. Gamariki chimed in, going through a list of the victims and their affiliations in life, death, and business. "Some of the targets were legitimate businessmen with significant real estate holdings and corporate interests. We need to determine where they all intersect."

A twinge of something pulled at the recesses of Obito's memory. "That sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it Nara?" he mused. "Can you remember your investigation right before Kakashi and I partnered up? When he was still on assignment with your division?"

Captain Nara folded his hands. "The military had an investigation into an international crime ring. One of our investigators went missing around the time of that big apartment fire. Five or six years later, one of Konoha's security officers was suspected to be liaising with the crime ring, but he was taken out by someone before we could get any more information about it." Something sparked in his mind. "Sabaku; please check the holdings of the victims as well as this LLC for the tavern." His fingers flew across the keys as he accessed a database long forgotten. "Cross reference with this information."

Obito was deep in thought. "I remember parts of this," he said. "I was still pretty new to the Investigations Department at the time of that enormous fire. Most of that city block was decimated, along with any records of the tenants. There was no way to have an accurate victim count. They blamed the age of the building," he continued, "but there were accelerants used. That fire was burning far too hot, spread too fast, and destroyed far too much to have been the result of a simple kerosene fire."

"There is something else," Shikaku said gravely. "The missing investigator was a tenant in that building. Our evidence indicates he was not there when the fire started, but as his body was never found, we can't assume that our information was correct."

Mr. Gamariki was clicking away furiously on his keyboard. "What was the investigator's name, Shika-chan."

"Maboroshi Kisuke."

"And the officer later found to be liaising?"

"Sabiru," Shikaku grimaced. "He was a member of the tactical division; he was a brilliant engineer, but he apparently got greedy."

Madam Yuki cleared her throat delicately, and the clacking barrage of Mr. Gamariki's typing stilled. "That is also part of the reason I am here," she said, quietly. "We believe we have information regarding those incidents." However," she held up her well-manicured hand, "I can't be sure until Sabaku and Omozukai are done compiling the data I gave them."

"So, let me get this straight," Omozukai's voice was far more serious than they had heard it. "Our newest theory is that the organization currently using the Kurosuki family might have previously attempted to establish a foothold in Konoha, resulting in a chain of fires, the death of a military investigator, and the corruption and murder of a crooked tactician. In addition to that, this organization also has a legitimate face and is attacking business competition as well in some kind of insane kamikaze merger and acquisitions/murders and executions Patrick Bateman/American Psycho wet dream."

"Wow," Tessen's icon switched from a closed fan to an open one. "You almost made it without saying something wildly inappropriate. I was beginning to worry."

"What about Kakashi?"

Everyone looked to Obito.

He stared back at them all in turn. "This is all well and good, but the first question I want answered is why was my friend almost killed? Was he an incidental victim – a cop to please Raiga? - or was he targeted specifically?"

"It depends which of the gunmen you ask," Tessen answered.

"Care to explain, dear?" Mr. Gamariki sipped at his tea.

"I finished listening to the audio from today's investigations, including the one that Sai and Ibiki just finished. I also finished tracing through the texts and emails I can find. Karashi corroborates that in a conversation about how to impress Raiga, the notion of killing a cop was proposed. That same person later made sure he was in the car, and apparently convinced the other shooters to wait for Kakashi to walk out of the building. The other shooters had no opinion on what cop was killed. Of the other two shooters, one was "accidentally" shot (not killed), and the other had his arm broken when he got in the way of the shooter that proposed the victim."

A picture flashed up on the screen. Small, beady, hard eyes. Wide, flat nose, smirking expression. Completely forgettable build, hair color, and general appearance. "Gentlemen," her voice was hard. "Meet Kusabi. New Kurosuki family member; former citizen of the Land of Waves; mercenary for hire; known to have had several affiliations, but no current affiliations known."

"That is the man the Ami girl mentioned," Mr. Gamariki said.

"So," Shikaku drawled, "When Ami told us that Kusabi was trying to recruit other members from the Land of Waves, it might be that they were the ones that put him in place. Perhaps the affiliation can be narrowed down if we know who Waraji and Zōri are."

Mr. Gamariki stared at him. "I hadn't thought of it in that light, Shika-chan. You really do use that little pineapple head of yours."

"I've been researching them all day," Tessen's frustration was clear in her voice. "The fact that I am having trouble getting information about them tells me that they are actually a part of whatever organization is pulling the strings. I do know this, though," she said, bringing up a series of texts to the screens, and editing them in real time.

"Read here," she circled some information, "and here. Kusabi is the one that proposed the cop as a victim in general, and later Kakashi specifically, but it was Zōri that assigned him the target. In fact, if later texts are to be believed, the Kurosuki family member that got in Kusabi's way and earned a broken arm actually messed up what would have been a killshot."

"So that means Kakashi is still a target," Obito said bluntly. "Possibly for this family that wants to finish a job, and definitely from some source elsewhere that wanted him dead, specifically."

"That's my take," Tessen agreed. "I believe you were his former partner, weren't you? Is there anyone who wanted to kill Kakashi?"

"Tons of people," he said without humor. "He was an effective military agent and a relentless police officer. They could have named a wing of the prison after him."

"Why Land of Waves?" Tessen asked suddenly. "Granted, mercenaries can be found just about anywhere, but why there, specifically? Most mercenaries we run across start out in Kirigakure or Otogakure.

Obito's eyes went wide. "Kakashi told me once about an investigation into a smuggling operation in The Land of Waves. He helped shut them down, and had to fight a particularly deadly opponent." He frowned. "I… I don't know if he ever told me who that was, though."

"Momochi Zabuza."

The room was still.

Captain Nara looked to Madam Yuki, who remained perfectly composed. "Zabuza was hired to protect the boss of the smuggling ring. Zabuza fought Kakashi."

"Yuki," Mr. Gamariki breathed sadly.

"Zabuza was betrayed," she continued. "He and Kakashi worked together, and broke up most of the organization from the inside out."

"Which is why he is now afforded amnesty?" Obito asked.

Yuki nodded. "That is part of the reason. My understanding was, though," she frowned slightly, "that the man responsible – the shipping magnate and gang leader – was killed."

"And that would have been…?" Obito raised his eyebrows.

"His name was Gato. It would not have been like Zabuza to show mercy, and I doubt that Kakashi could have done much about it."

Obito looked deflated. "Guess it's back to the drawing board," he muttered.

Mr. Gamariki hummed. "Not necessarily," he peered at his own screen, the reflection of his screen bouncing off of his bright red glasses in blue squares. "Considering 'everyone knows' that Momochi Zabuza is dead, and Yuki spoke with him this morning, it does not make sense to assume anything in this investigation. The important points and objectives are: 1) Kakashi was and is still a target and must be protected 2) To determine what the Kurosuki family's goals, strengths, and weaknesses are so they can be brought down, and 3) to do the same with whatever this outside organization is.

"That idea of the fires, that agent's death, and a rogue security specialist," Obito rubbed the back of his neck. "It just feels… right. I don't have any substantiation to offer, but I just feel like there is a connection in there somewhere."

Sabaku's voice came over the system. "Our program also crosschecks archival photos from the newspaper and other media outlets. Perhaps if we scan the list of the hospitalized, and photos from the papers, we might be able to place someone in that area. It was quite some time ago, though, was it not?"

Obito sighed. "Eighteen years or so? That was the biggest fire. The last one was at the rec center in the same neighborhood. Come to think of it," he looked over at Shikaku. "The rogue officer – Sabiru was it? He died within days of that last fire." He raised his eyebrows. "Can that really be a coincidence?" He looked over to Madam Yuki. "Anything to add?"

She pursed her lips. "I do not believe it was a coincidence," she said slowly, "but I do not know that it is related to the current investigation. That remains to be seen," she nodded back to the program that was racing through photographs and drawing lines between people and places in a timeline-web. "I will know more when my raw data is analyzed."

She stood and crossed to the large touch-screen monitor, and extended a long, manicured finger. "Who is this?" she pointed to a picture.

"That is Waraji," Captain Nara came to stand by her. "He hangs around with the Kurosuki family through Kusabi – or, more likely, is giving Kusabi his orders from higher up."

"Is that why his picture is flagged?" she asked

"As you have been so helpful," he said, "let me fill you in on our day so far." She listened, her eyes never leaving the web that kept populating with more pictures and colored connections like an electronic spider was darting between the various contacts, trailing multicolored silks behind her. She listened to the events of the previous evenings, and the hyper-productive morning that had blown the investigation wide open.

"So this Officer Tenten is normally partnered with Officer Inuzuka?" she asked, dragging pictures of the officers on the screen that Shikaku had brought up to make the explanations faster. "And for now he is going undercover watching Karashi, while she and Officer Rock Lee are keeping a low profile."

"Officer Tenten takes the nightshifts guarding Kakashi at the hospital," Captain Nara crossed his arms and nodded to the screen. "We have an undercover military operative there; she is trained as a field medic, so she is acting as a nurse visiting from the VA hospital." He scratched his chin. "After today, I'm doubly glad she is there. We intend to have Officer Akimichi on duty tonight as well, but I am not certain we can spare him."

"Omozukai," she turned and faced the bank of monitors. "Do you still have your facial recognition software?"

"Only about 15 versions from Photoshop to the security at the Fire Daimyo's residence," he snorted. "Why."

"This Ami," she gestured to the picture of the girl in the web of gang members and suspected gang members and undercover cops. "She seems quite enamored with taking and sending pictures with her phone. She is actively keeping track of two of the officers here, and will be seeing at least one more undercover."

"What's your point?" Omozukai asked in his rude tone, but his curiosity was clearly piqued.

"Can you modify the phone software, or, perhaps more expediently, a photo app on her phone? Something along the lines of a very specific photo filter. Program in the recognition of the KPD faces and have the camera alter them when photographed."

"Alter them, eh?" Omozukai seemed to be considering. "Interesting."

"I'd suggest," she continued with a hint of a smile in her voice, "if you go the app route, also programing it to optimize any pictures taken of this Ami, as she is so clearly fond of self-portraiture."

"So in other words," Omozukai drawled, "Put an app on her phone that makes her pictures look amazing, but puts pictures of the officers off just a bit so that if she passes them on, the officers will be harder for others to recognize from the photo."

"Precisely," Madam Yuki smiled. "One more suggestion."

"Hit me."

"Make sure that if you alter Officer Tenten's photos that she is made to look less attractive by the same degree that Ami is made to look more attractive... if not more so."

"Nice!" he chuckled. "Great way to make sure that she will use the app. Of course, I'll have the originals sent to us; you never know when things like that can come in handy. I can do this pretty easily; I'll have it ready by this evening."

Madam Yuki checked the watch on the inside of her wrist again. "It is already after 3:30," she frowned. "Will you have time?"

"Yeah," his voice was confident. "It won't take me that long."

"Very clever, Madam Yuki," Mr. Gamariki said, looking over his red glasses significantly. "Since Ami is already passing along information, it might help us if it is more along the lines of misinformation."

She turned back to stare at the large touchscreen again, her large eyes scanning the connections. She turned over her shoulder when the door opened and Ibiki and Sai strode in. She inclined her head to the two men who gave polite nods as Captain Nara turned to greet them.

"Officer Morino. Officer Sai. It went well?"

"Clean interrogation," Ibiki shrugged. "Luckily or unluckily for us, the suspect is gullible in the extreme. His information seems to be reliable, though."

"It appears this Ami is a valuable connection," Obito interjected. "Is she also being protected?"

"Kiba will be assigned to her and Karashi," Ibiki explained. "We can't limit Ami's motions; it might interrupt the information flow. For now, we have to track her electronically as best as we are able, and encourage her not to be alone with any of the suspected infiltrators."

"Do any of you know anything about women?" Tessen sighed. "Seriously. Anything?"

The men in the room looked up at the screen in degrees of surprise, incredulity, and, on the part of Madam Yuki, amusement.

"That kind of girl is going to find trouble whenever and wherever she can," Tessen said flatly. "She wants attention, and right now she wants it from your Officer and a few really sketch people. There isn't any amount of "encouragement" that is going to keep her from seeking out these people like she has for months. How are we going to make sure she doesn't end up a carved up picture on this wackjob's phone?"

The men looked at each other. "She has a point," Obito conceded. "It doesn't appear that this Ami has been particularly careful around these people. It's probably just bum luck that something hasn't happened before now."

"What is the plan for tonight?" Ibiki asked, crossing his arms. "Let's start there."

Captain Nara stood and crossed to the large touch screen and pulled up a diagram that showed the Tavern and its surrounding area, the hospital, and the police station. On the side was a bank of pictures of known and suspected members of the gang and officers.

"We suspect that Waraji and Zōri will be at the Tavern by about 8:00, as will Ami," he dragged the pictures over to the Tavern and when prompted keyed in their entry at 8:00 PM. "Officer Inuzuka as Kuromaru has been asked to be there around 9:00 PM."

"Kuromaru," Obito blinked, a smile pulling at his lips. "Isn't that Tsume's dog?"

"Figured it would be easy for him to remember," Ibiki shrugged. "Karashi indicated that the other family members start filtering into the Tavern as early as 7:00 PM, as late as 10:00 PM.

"Does Raiga ever join them?" Obito asked.

"No," Ibiki shook his head. "He doesn't."

"He wouldn't," Yuki added watching the screen. "It isn't his way."

Shikaku went back to the board. "Officers Tenten and Akimichi should be at the hospital between 6:30 and 7:00 PM. Uzuki Yūgao will be back on shift at the hospital by 4:00 PM as an additional agent, courtesy of Uchiha Itachi."

He stepped back from the board. "Officer Lee will be with Karashi's mother Sanshō for part of the evening. Do we know if Karashi will go to the Tavern?" he asked Ibiki.

Ibiki looked thoughtful. "I think he will," he said calmly. "He will want a chance to try and impress Kiba again. Plus he has to maintain the appearance of being important to or at least part of the Kurosuki family to be of any use. He is highly motivated by the promise of recognition," Ibiki continued. "He has a very unrealistic understanding of his current position in any of the organizations or the danger that he is potentially in and by extension placing his family and friends in."

"Meaning Ami, Lee, Sanshō, and Tenten?"

"He seems to have some particular delusions when it comes to Tenten," Sai offered.

"How so?" Captain Nara asked.

"He says he has been friends with them since they were children; with Lee since they were around 11, with Tenten since they were 6 or 7. He thinks he can keep them both safe; that the others don't know that they are police. That can't be possible. He also indicated that Tenten was interested in a relationship with him. That also isn't possible."

"Oh?" Mr. Gamariki asked, leaning forward in his seat. "And why is that, Sai?"

Sai looked up at him. "I was her partner off and on for two years before she partnered with Inuzuka. She barely speaks of her life outside of work, and he never came up in conversation. Even so," he continued. "If she was interested in any kind of relationship with anyone, we would know."

"How would we know?" Mr. Gamariki prompted him.

"Because Uzumaki would know." He shrugged. "He has an uncanny sense for when any of the officers are hiding something. As the only female in our division the discussion has come up multiple times between officers. I have no doubt that Uzumaki would know, and if he did, the rest of the department would know as well; there is no way it would remain a secret. She can't possibly have romantic designs on anyone, much less this Karashi person."

Captain Nara chuckled. "As nonsensical as that may sound," he said, "I believe Sai is right. Officer Uzumaki is both strangely insightful and bad with secrets. However, we already knew that this Karashi person has a warped view of the situation. Perhaps 'wishful' is kinder."

Madam Yuki was staring at the map. "Who else is going to be at the Tavern?" she asked.

Captain Nara pulled more pictures in place. "I'm saving Uchiha Sasuke for any boardroom assignments that might come up. He is tactical support with Shikamaru. Uzumaki Naruto," he dragged the picture of the smiling blonde, "is on deck for tonight." Captain Nara rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture both he and his son shared. "I'd rather not have Naruto in the tavern unless he is needed."

Obito chuckled. "Sounds like he and Officer Inuzuka have been causing quite the stir lately. Maybe calling Tsume in isn't such a bad idea."

Ibiki crossed his powerful arms but smirked. "That is one way to handle infiltration. But Nara and I were talking earlier. There is every sign that this goes much deeper than what we are seeing. We have to tread carefully. Shutting down the Kurosuki family wouldn't be that difficult. If we shut them down, though, we lose an opening to whatever this other organization is, and I suspect they are the dangerous entity. Ideally," he continued, "we can get Inuzuka in and Karashi out. That will isolate and remove the civilian tie to our other officers, and allow an agent to still get close to the source."

"Agreed," Obito nodded.

"Captain Nara," Yuki still looked at the web of pictures and times and places. "From what I am hearing, it doesn't sound like a raid is in order."

Shikaku shook his head. "No. When we began planning we thought we'd just be rounding up the Kurosuki family. Since that is no longer the case, the current plan is to get Kiba in place. We might pick off a few of the lesser members along the way, but tonight is about getting him in and gathering more information. Of course," he spread his hands, "we have to be prepared for anything to go wrong."

She frowned at the numbers. Not enough on the ground. "You can't have Sai there yet," she frowned. "You need another officer posing as a civilian. Who do you have that won't start a fight," she grimaced, recalling that Captain Nara had mentioned Naruto had been key in the excitement of the previous two nights.

"I can call in Officer Akimichi," Captain Nara said. "He won't start a fight, but he is more than capable of helping out in one."

"The one at hospital?" Madam Yuki asked. The Captain nodded.

"Mr. Gamariki," she turned to the monitors. "Any information on the security system in this building? Do they have video surveillance?"

There was a clicking of keys. "Hard to say," he murmured.

"Omozukai," she continued. "Up for some travel?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, nothing that can be done tonight," she said, looking at the touch screen, "but it would be a good idea to have some feed from cameras; make sure there is wi-fi for the agent's devices. After the power outage they will have tonight, someone will have to go in to at least assess their system. They'll need it to be looked at tomorrow; at least the tech will tell them so tonight."

Sai frowned. "Have there been outages in that area?"

"No idea," Madam Yuki shrugged elegantly. "But there are about to be."

Omozukai snorted. "Have wire cutters, will travel?"

Madam Yuki just grinned. "Something like that."

"I like how you think," Omozukai agreed.

Captain Nara arched an eyebrow and looked at Madam Yuki. "Do I need to put another agent in place, or has that been taken care of."

"I think you are fine with the numbers you have," she said calmly. She checked the watch on the inside of her wrist. "If you will forgive me gentlemen," she said apologetically, "I have an errand I must run. I have some things to give you. If you would be so kind," she looked to Sai "As to walk me to my car, I would be grateful."

"Thank you for all of your help," Captain Nara said warmly. "It is much appreciated."

She inclined her head. "I shall speak with you all soon I am sure." She hardly needed to mention that her presence and participation was to be kept a secret, so she didn't mention. "I look forward to seeing Mrs. Uchiha soon," she said to Obito warmly. "Send her by; her next appointment is on the house."

Obito thanked her, the other men nodded, and Sai allowed her to pass ahead of him.

They walked in silence until they were in the parking lot, the snow drifting lazily in the late afternoon sun.

"Been a while," Madam Yuki said finally.

Sai nodded. "Tokyo," he said. "Yakuza."

She smiled softly. "Still doing contract work, I take it."

He slid a glance to her. "Occasionally. You?"

"Occasionally."

She got to the car and pulled out a large envelope. "This is some more information," she explained. "Nothing that I'm sure the Captain doesn't already suspect, but it will help solidify matters."

Sai arched an eyebrow at her as she offered him a small flashdrive.

"Are your rates still the same?" she asked quietly.

"Depends," he answered not making a move to accept the device. "The kind of work I take on has… shifted somewhat."

Madam Yuki nodded. "I know. This is an investigation and protection assignment. I need your help."

Sai held her gaze a moment before taking the flashdrive. "Zabuza?"

She shook her head. "No. I can protect Zabuza. This is a private matter. I need to meet with you and recruit one more operative from the KPD."

Sai frowned. "None of the officers take contract work," he said firmly. "Even if it is a protection deal."

Madam Yuki smiled softly. "I wonder about that," she mused. Sai watched her carefully. He had known her as Yuki and as Haku over the years, and their alternate professional lives had intersected more than once. He could only think of one person that she might have a personal interest in protecting.

"This is about my former partner, isn't it," he stated. She nodded slowly. That could mean only one thing. "And you are going to solicit her current partner, aren't you." She nodded again.

Sai looked at her and then at the flash drive in his hand. He tucked it into his pocket. "I'll go over this as soon as the meeting releases," he said quietly. "Once I see the scope of work, I'll give you my rates."

Madam Yuki held his gaze a moment before giving a soft "Hm" of agreement.

Sai opened her door for her as she eased into the car. He glanced around partly out of habit, partly because of the nature of their conversation.

"Thank you, Sai," she said as she put her key into the ignition. "It will be good to work with you again." He gave a nod of his head, closed her door, and watched her pull away. He went back to the meeting, with no indication that anything had transpired; even Ibiki noted no change in his demeanor or body language.

That was because there wasn't any.

Sai had been at this game as long as Haku had, and he was an expert. In his expert opinion, however, if Haku was contracting an entirely separate protection detail, then there was more to worry about than a random gang member that liked to slash his victims. Sai felt the weight of the flash drive in his pocket even as he paid diligent attention to the wrap-up of the meeting.

_"I need your help." _

Haku was neither really Haku nor Madam Yuki. He saw himself (or she saw herself) as a tool for Zabuza; an extension of him. Sai saw the shift in posture, the change in demeanor. For Haku to break from his Madam Yuki character and actually request help on a personal level? It was unheard of.

Sai had been groomed to be an assassin for most of his life and was as unemotional as a person could be. He lived by a very peculiar and particular code of morality, and his moral compass never let him abandon a comrade in need. He had never expected Haku of all people to come to him, but that made it that much more necessary that he accept no matter what was on that flash drive. As he drove home, greying skies promised more snow. He looked to the gathering, darkening clouds, and couldn't suppress the tingle of a premonition. "Things are about to get ugly."

* * *

_Thanks again, _**animequeen100!**

_Also, _**BelleDayNight**_ is always great for bouncing ideas around. She has a wide variety of stories from which to choose and updates consistently. If you aren't reading her stuff already, get over there and check it out!_

_The support in this community is what keeps this fun, friends. Thanks for reading!_

_Cheer_

_- Giada_


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